


Fields of Air

by Integrandia



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Character, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn, bi!ryuji
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-16 10:37:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 40,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11251407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Integrandia/pseuds/Integrandia
Summary: When Ryuji Sakamoto, resident delinquent of Shujin Academy, met the new transfer student by chance one morning, he had no idea how much his life was about to change, and no way to know how much Akira Kurusu would mean to him.





	1. Shujin Academy

“Or on wide-waving wings expanded bear  
The flying-chariot through the fields of air.”  
_The Botanic Garden_

  
  
1\. Shujin Academy

  
    The new kid wasn’t even much to look at, Ryuji thought. He was ordinary, unremarkable in the Shujin Academy uniform, with messy black hair that overshadowed his nerdy-looking glasses. You probably couldn’t pick him out of a crowd.  
    Why, then, couldn’t Ryuji stop thinking about him? He stared out the window of the classroom, frowning. Even if he wanted to pay attention to the social studies teacher (which he didn’t), his thoughts kept coming back to that transfer student, Kurusu.  
    To be sure, part of the reason had to be the insane experience from that morning. Ryuji wasn’t even sure it had happened. Maybe he had hallucinated the whole thing? Maybe he was completely losing his mind... but it had felt so real. He swallowed hard as he remembered the feeling of the knight’s grip on his neck, slowly choking the life out of him.  
    Thinking back to that moment, of course, meant thinking back to what had happened next—the rush of wind, the blood and fire, the _thing_ that had poured out of Kurusu and let them make their escape. What had that cat-monster called it? A Persona?  
    So yeah, the castle and the monsters and the Persona all made the transfer student pretty memorable. But it was more than that. It was something about the way Kurusu carried himself, the calm confidence with which he talked to the cops and faced the real-life Kamoshida. It wasn’t the cocky bravado that Ryuji tried to project. It was more like a certainty that seemed to say, “I’ve been through worse than this before. Nothing you can do is going to bother me.”  
    Yeah. That had to be the reason Kurusu kept popping up in Ryuji’s thoughts. That was why he found himself thinking yet again of that messy hair, the way he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose...  
  
    Something hit Ryuji in the side of the head, startling him out of his thoughts. “Hey! What the hell?!”  
    The social studies teacher was glaring at him. At Ryuji’s feet, a piece of chalk rolled away as a few girls giggled behind their hands. “Sakamoto, do you have any intention of joining the rest of us in class? Or are we disturbing your daydreams?”  
    “Uh, sorry...” Ryuji muttered, slouching further down in his seat.

* * *

  
    After class, Ryuji headed down the hall towards Kawakami’s classroom, where he arrived just in time to hear her telling the new student, “Oh, and about Sakamoto-kun. Don’t get involved—speak of the devil.”  
    Ryuji scowled. Of course. He was the bad student, the troublemaker, the good-for-nothing.  
    “What do you want?” the teacher asked. “I heard the police caught you cutting classes today.”  
    “Ugh... It was nothin’.”  
    “And you haven’t dyed your hair back to black, either.”  
    “Sorry ‘bout that,” Ryuji answered sarcastically. So what if he dyed his hair? Nothing he did was ever going to be good enough, whether his hair was black or blond.  
    But Ryuji hadn’t come over here to argue with Ms. Kawakami. He turned to leave, passing close to Kurusu and whispering, “I’ll be waitin’ on the rooftop.” He heard Kawakami’s heavy sigh as he walked away.  
  
    Up on the roof, Ryuji leaned his chair back, bracing one foot against a spare desk. His knee bounced with pent-up energy. He needed to talk about the castle with the only other person who might understand. But... would Kurusu even come? Maybe Kawakami had scared him off. Maybe he didn’t want to be associated with the school’s biggest delinquent.  
    A few minutes later, the door opened and—sure enough—the transfer student walked out onto the roof. Ryuji felt a jolt of relief.  
    “There you are,” he said. “Sorry for callin’ you up here like this. I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like ‘don’t get involved with him,’ huh?”  
    Kurusu didn’t seem phased. “She said you’re trouble.”  
    Ryuji laughed. “We’re pretty much in the same boat. I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone’s talkin’ about it. No wonder you were so gutsy.”  
    Kurusu seemed to ignore that, but he leaned against one of the desks as if waiting for Ryuji to go on.  
     _Fair enough._ Ryuji went straight to the point. “What was all that that happened? You know, how we almost got killed in a castle...? It wasn’t a dream, right? You remember it too, yeah?” He hadn’t realized how much the question was bothering him until he said it out loud. Was he losing his mind?  
    “Yeah.”  
    That one word had Ryuji breathing a sigh of relief. Though the whole thing was still totally confusing. A castle, with Kamoshida as its king? Ryuji found himself rambling. “Well, just because we both remember it doesn’t mean much though... I mean, even if it was a dream, you saved me from Kamoshida. So yeah... thanks.”  
    “You’re welcome.”  
    “But man, that Kamoshida we saw there...” As always, thinking about Kamoshida got Ryuji’s blood boiling. “I wonder if we can go back to that castle again... Ugh, forget it. Must’ve all been a dream. It has to be!”  
   _Shut up, you idiot,_ Ryuji thought to himself. “Sorry to drag you out here like this. That’s all I had to say.”  
    The other student continued to look at him silently. It wasn’t an irritated silence, or a bored one—more like Kurusu was trying to figure him out. Feeling awkward, Ryuji kept talking to fill the space between them. “You know, we might be pretty similar. I feel like we’re gonna get along just fine as troublemakers. I’m Ryuji Sakamoto.”  
    “Akira Kurusu,” came the response, with just a bit of a smile.  
    “I’ll come talk if I see you around. Don’t ignore me, all right?” _Desperate much, Ryuji?_ “See ya.”


	2. Awakening I

2\. Awakening I

  
    Ryuji was in the second-floor hallway at Shujin. The school was quiet and dark, as though it was late at night or very early in the morning. The hallway was empty except for Ryuji and Akira, who was standing close—very close.  
    Akira pressed closer, crowding Ryuji. Ryuji’s shoulders hit the wall behind him with a soft thump, and he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Akira’s hand wrapped around Ryuji’s hip, holding firmly him in place. Heart pounding, Ryuji stared at the other boy’s chest, at the second-year pin on his blazer. He was close enough to hear Akira exhale.  
    Akira’s other hand came up, slowly, to cup Ryuji’s cheek. As it did, Ryuji parted his lips involuntarily, his tongue darting out to moisten them. Finally, he was able to raise his gaze and meet Akira’s eyes. Their faces were only inches apart. He sensed, more than saw, Akira lean closer. His eyes fell closed as he lifted his chin...  
  
    Ryuji woke, panting and hard, in the darkness of his own bedroom. A dream... he pulled his pillow over his face to stifle a groan. It had been a long time since he had crushed on a boy. It had been a long time since he had crushed on _anyone_ this hard.  
    “What the eff,” he muttered to himself as he tossed the pillow aside. He really didn’t need to be dealing with having the hots for a classmate—a _male_ classmate—with Kamoshida and everything else that was going on.  
    Ugh, Kamoshida. Thinking of that asshole—especially the way he looked in the castle, in that pink Speedo—put a damper on his mood like a bucket of cold water.  
    Ryuji sat up and rubbed his face. “That bastard. Thinks he’s better than everyone. Thinks he can do whatever he wants, like he’s king of the school.” _Like the school is his own private castle._  
    That castle... that other Kamoshida... it was insane, but at the same time, it was a little too real. And Kurusu had been there with him, so it couldn’t have been a dream or a hallucination. But if the castle was real somehow, what did that mean for the people they had seen locked up? The Kamoshida there had really wanted to kill him and Kurusu. Were other people in danger?  
     _I’ve gotta go back,_ Ryuji thought. _Or at least try to._  
    The castle was obviously dangerous, though, and Ryuji wasn’t eager to end up locked in the dungeon again. He’d need backup—and that meant he would need Akira Kurusu.

* * *

  
    After school the next day, Ryuji waited by the gate to catch Akira. The first hurdle was convincing the transfer student to help him. Ryuji had spent the afternoon thinking about exactly what to say. He made his pitch: “I wanna talk about that castle from yesterday. I tried tellin’ myself it was all just a dream... but I couldn’t do it. I can’t act like nothing happened. It’s all connected to that bastard Kamoshida, after all. I wanna find out what’s up with that place, no matter what. And y’know... you’re the only person I can rely on for this stuff. So, you in?”  
    It was impossible to tell what the other student was thinking as Ryuji talked. It was like trying to convince a marble statue to help move a couch. He didn’t really have a backup plan if Kurusu blew him off. So he bit the inside of his cheek, hoping that he’d said enough.  
    Akira heard him out, and when Ryuji had finished, he simply said, “Sure. What’s next?”  
     _Does this guy ever string more than five words together?_ Ryuji wondered. But whatever. He’d agreed to help, and that was the important thing.  
  
    With the first hurdle cleared, the next was finding the castle again. Ryuji tried retracing their steps, but they kept winding up at the school again. He didn’t get it. When they were trying to get to the school, they found a castle. When they were trying to find the castle, they could only find the school.  
    Akira mentioned his phone, and Ryuji had a sudden flash of inspiration. Sure enough, there was a weird navigation app on Kurusu’s phone. When he selected the castle from the search history, he felt a wave of vertigo before it materialized in front of their eyes.  
    Seeing the castle again erased the last of the doubt in Ryuji’s mind. “We made it back... That means what happened yesterday was for real, too...” He glanced at Akira to see how the other student was reacting. “Gah! Those clothes!”  
    Akira looked down at himself in surprise.  
    “What’s with that outfit!?” Ryuji asked. He tried not to think about how good that long coat looked on Akira, or the way the masquerade mask made his eyes look dark and intense.  
    Akira gave a half-shrug. “Not bad, huh?”  
    Ryuji swallowed, hard. “You _like_ it!?” he exclaimed, his voice cracking slightly. _Change the subject!_ “What’s goin’ on here!? This makes no effin’ sense at all!”  
  
    At that moment, the cat-monster-thing from the day before appeared from around the corner. It tried to explain how the school could be a castle, but it didn’t make even a little sense to Ryuji.  
    “I shouldn’t have expected a moron to get it...” it muttered.  
    “What’d you say!?” Ryuji’s anger was cut short when a desperate scream echoed through the air.  
     _Those prisoners... If the school really is Kamoshida’s castle, then the prisoners’re other students from Shujin. Kamoshida’s torturing them, just like—_   “That son of a bitch! This is bullshit!” Ryuji slammed his shoulder into the big castle door, but it didn’t budge. “You hear me, Kamoshida!?”  
    He turned back to the cat. “Hey, Monamona!”  
    “It’s Morgana,” it snarled.  
    “Do you know where those voices are comin’ from?”  
    “You want me to take you to them?” Morgana seemed to consider it. “Well, I guess I could guide you there... but only if he comes with us.”  
    Ryuji looked at Kurusu. _Come on,_ he thought, _I need your help._  
    “Let’s go,” Akira said calmly, like they were just deciding where to get lunch.  
    “For real?” Ryuji asked, half-expecting it to be a joke. “Thanks, man.”  
    One way or another, Ryuji was going to help the students Kamoshida had locked up in this insane castle. He had to.


	3. Awakening II

3\. Awakening II

  
    It was useless. All those prisoners Kamoshida was torturing—the members of the volleyball team—didn’t even want to be rescued. It was like they were all resigned to being abused. There was nothing Ryuji could do to help them.  
    Well, even if he couldn’t rescue the prisoners in the castle, he sure as hell was going to make Kamoshida pay. He had memorized the students’ faces. When they got back to the real world, he was going to get evidence of Kamoshida’s abuse and take that bastard down.  
    They just had to get out of the castle first. They had made it all the way back to the big entrance hall when they came face-to-face with Kamoshida—and his guards.  
    Morgana and Akira stepped in to fight, but they were completely outmatched. Before long, they both fell under the guards’ attacks. It killed Ryuji to see his friends—not even friends, more like acquaintances who had made the mistake of associating with him—suffer on account of him and his stupid mistakes.  
    Kamoshida put a foot on Morgana’s back to stop the creature from getting up. Beside him, one of the knights did the same to Akira, pinning him down.  
    Kamoshida smirked. “I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this. Isn’t that right?”  
    “No,” Ryuji protested.  
    “What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly. How dare you raise your hand at me. Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?”  
    Ryuji pounded his fists on the ground. “Wasn’t no practice—it was physical abuse! You just didn’t like our team!”  
    “It was nothing but an eyesore!” Kamoshida shot back. “The only one who needs to achieve results is me! That coach who got fired was hopeless, too. Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would’ve settled it with only breaking his star’s leg.”  
    His blood ran cold. “...What?”  
    Stress fracture of the tibia, brought on by hard training. That’s what the doctors had said. Only a stress fracture can get a whole hell of a lot worse if you trip and fall while running. Ryuji still remembered feeling the bone snap, remembered doing a somersault as he fell until he ended up flat on his back, his leg screaming in pain.  
    Now Kamoshida was admitting that he had done it _on purpose_. The hard training, the long practices, forcing him to run through the pain—it had all been deliberate. Kamoshida had been trying to break him, literally.  
    “Do you need me to deal with your other leg, too? The school will call it self-defense anyway!”  
    No matter what he did, Kamoshida always had the upper hand. Kamoshida had pushed him until he broke his leg. Kamoshida had baited him into losing his temper. Now Kamoshida was going to win yet again.   
    Ryuji sank back on his heels. It felt like the weight of shame and despair were crushing him. “Dammit... Am I gonna lose again? Not only can I not run anymore, the track team is gone too ‘cause of this asshole.”  
    “Once these two are dealt with, you’re next,” Kamoshida said with a laugh. Beneath his foot, Morgana let out a cry of pain.  
     _I’m a fucking failure,_ Ryuji thought bitterly. _I ruin everything I touch._ He wrecked the track team. He couldn’t stop Kamoshida from abusing the volleyball players. Now, Morgana and Akira were going to die because of him.  
     _“What a piece of shit.”_ A voice—a memory—echoed in his mind. _“You ruined your mom’s and my life, you know that? Shoulda never been born.”_  
    Ryuji shook his head, trying to forget. But more memories kept welling up. He heard Kamoshida, taunting him at track practice: _“You're dead weight on this team, Sakamoto. Worthless. No wonder your dad drank so much. No wonder he ditched you and your mom. Tch, what a piece of trash.”_ He remembered his mom’s face as she picked him up at school that day, the disappointment in her eyes.  
     Everyone knew he was a screw-up, a waste of space. He wasn’t just worthless, he was less than worthless. _Everything would be better off if I wasn’t around._  
    “Don't let him win!” Akira’s voice startled Ryuji out of his thoughts. Even after everything, even with a knight’s heavy boot on his back, Akira looked at him with steady determination. Like he believed in Ryuji.  
    Ryuji couldn’t remember the last time someone had believed in him. “You’re right. Everything important to me was taken by him... I'll never get ‘em back.” _But I’m not going to let him win. Not anymore._  
    Kamoshida sneered. “Stay there and watch. Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you.”  
    He stood up. _Not anymore._ “No. That's what you are... All you think about is using people. You’re the real scumbag, Kamoshida!” Step by deliberate step, he walked up to Kamoshida. He pointed a finger right in his face. “Stop lookin’ down on me with that stupid smile on your face!”   
  
    At that moment, Ryuji heard a new voice in his head. He grabbed his temples and gasped, feeling like his skull was going to split apart.  
    “You made me wait quite a while,” the voice said, as Ryuji fell to his knees in pain. “You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact.”  
    The pain was unbearable. Ryuji writhed on the floor as the voice continued to boom inside his head. “Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc? The ‘other you’ who exists within desires it thus.” With the formal tone of a sacred ritual, the voice declared: “I am thou, thou art I... There is no turning back. The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!”  
    The pounding voice stopped, but its strange power lingered.   
    “Huh, what can you do?” The guard pinning Akira to the ground raised his sword. “Cower in fear and watch!”  
    Ryuji staggered to his feet. There was something on his face. A mask? Something primal inside of him demanded that he tear it off. He grabbed the mask with both hands and ripped, feeling his skin tear away, feeling blood drip into his eyes.  
    All that power that was pent-up inside of him came pouring out in a rush. It felt like water pouring over a dam, like an electrical storm, like a volcano erupting. It was overwhelming. It was exhilarating.  
    What had Morgana called it? A ‘will of rebellion’? Well, he was a rebel, all right. “Right on... Wassup, Persona? This effin’ rocks!” A wicked grin spread across his face. “Now that I got this power, it’s time for payback.”   
    With the guards driven back, Morgana and Akira stood and flanked him. “Yo, I’m ready... Bring it!”


	4. "King" Kamoshida

4\. “King” Kamoshida

  
    Ryuji was starting to think he might be cursed, because every single thing was going wrong.   
    First, the plan had been to get the volleyball team to admit they were being abused, but none of them would talk. Worse, it seemed like the parents and the school already knew about Kamoshida’s abuse, and they just didn’t care.  
    With that plan down the drain, Morgana had showed up—in the real world, as an actual cat—to present an alternative. If they took the fight to the other Kamoshida, the one in the castle, they could destroy his distorted desires and make the real-world Kamoshida confess his crimes. Seemed like a great idea—but it was risky. Morgana said there was a chance they might kill Kamoshida or leave him braindead.  
    Kamoshida was a bastard, but Ryuji didn’t want to be a murderer. Still, he didn’t see any other way to stop Kamoshida’s abuse and keep anyone else from getting hurt.  
  
    Unfortunately, ‘keep anyone else from getting hurt’ turned out to be impossible, because Shiho Suzui, second-year volleyball starter and best friend to Ann Takamaki, jumped off the school roof. Seeing her loaded into an ambulance, Takamaki by her side, was the last straw. Mishima confirmed it: Suzui had been targeted by Kamoshida.  
    Ryuji had never been angrier. He stormed into the PE office to confront Kamoshida, blood rushing in his ears, fists clenched so tight his fingernails were digging into his skin.  
    Kamoshida was as smug and cruel as ever. “We just received a call from the hospital. Suzui’s in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim... How would someone like that make a statement. There’s no chance of her getting better, I hear. The poor girl.”  
    Ryuji saw red. “You goddamn...!”  
    “This again?” Kamoshida asked. “Does this mean we need to have yet another case of ‘self-defense’?”  
    “You shut your mouth, you son of a bitch!” He raised a fist, ready to beat that conceited asshole into a pulp—only to feel a firm grip on his wrist. He looked back at Akira, who was holding him. “Why’re you stoppin’ me!?”  
    “Don’t let him get to you,” Akira said, his voice entirely too calm given the situation. It felt like there was a silent warning in his words: _Don’t let him win._  
    “But still!” Ryuji snarled.  
    “Oh? You’re stopping him? What a surprise,” said Kamoshida. “There’s no need to hold back. Why not attack me? ...Ohhh, you can’t.” He laughed. “But of course you can’t!”  
    Kamoshida turned away and sat back down at his desk, as if the conversation was already over. “Everyone present right now will be expelled. I’m reporting all of you at the next board meeting.”  
    Ryuji felt his stomach drop. Expelled? He couldn’t get expelled. What would he say to his mom...? And Akira and Mishima, too—they were gonna be expelled because Ryuji couldn’t control his damn temper.  
    Turning to Mishima, Kamoshida gave one last twist of the knife. “You act like you’re a victim, but you leaked Kurusu’s criminal records, didn’t you?”  
    Akira and Ryuji looked at Mishima in surprise. “He told me to do it,” Mishima whispered. “I had no choice...”  
    Kamoshida laughed. “Now, are we finished here? You’re all expelled! You’re done for; your futures are mine to take. Now get out of my sight.”  
    Shaking with helpless anger, Ryuji turned to Akira. “I can’t believe this asshole’s gettin’ away with this!”  
    “We can’t give up,” Akira said in that same maddeningly calm voice. And then—did Ryuji see him wink?  
    The castle. The other Kamoshida. They could take him down and he’d never even know it was them.

* * *

  
    With a goal in mind, Ryuji was feeling better, though he was still furious at Kamoshida. It seemed his unlucky streak wasn’t over, unfortunately; when he and Akira and Morgana entered the Metaverse, of course Ann freakin’ Takamaki would get pulled in with them. And of _course_ she’d come back even after they made her leave, and just for good measure, _of_ _course_ she’d get captured by Shadows.  
    Morgana led him and Akira down the hallway where Ann had been taken. They could hear her yelling about a movie set or something. “Ugh, she totally doesn’t get what’s goin’ on...” Ryuji griped.  
    When they burst through the door, though, even Ryuji was shocked by what they saw. Identical, anonymous girls lounged on the floor in revealing volleyball uniforms. Kamoshida was there, along with that creepy bikini-clad fake Ann. And on the far wall, the real Ann was spread-eagled on some kind of torture device, sword-wielding Shadows guarding her.  
    “This isn’t funny! Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida!” Ann was yelling.  
    Kamoshida turned to fake-Ann. “The girl’s decided to tell me off. What do you think of that?”  
    “Talking back is, like, totally unforgivable.”  
    With a smirk, Kamoshida said, “In that case... she should be executed.”  
    Ann gasped. “Are you kidding me...?” She struggled against her restraints without results.  
    “Takamaki!” Ryuji shouted.  
    “Just when I was about to start enjoying myself...” Kamoshida said with annoyance. “How many times are you gonna come back?” He turned back to Ann. “I bet you’re just like those thieves. You came because you’re pissed at me, huh? But, ah... I forget that chick’s name, but it’s your fault she jumped, you know.”  
    Ann looked stricken. “Huh?”  
    “You were _so reluctant_ to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place.”  
    “You bastard!” she shouted.  
    Ryuji surged forward. “No!”  
    “Take one more step and I’ll kill her on the spot,” warned Kamoshida.  
    “Dammit... What’re we gonna do!?” Ryuji asked Akira. It seemed hopeless.  
    “Is this... my punishment for what happened to Shiho...?” Ann murmured. “Shiho... I’m so sorry.”  
    Akira didn’t move, but his voice carried clearly across the room. “Don’t give in.”  
    Ann looked at Akira in surprise. After a moment, she said, “You’re right. Letting this piece of shit toy with me...” She glared at Kamoshida. “I’ve had enough of this. You’ve pissed me off, you son of a bitch!”  
    A crackling energy seemed to fill the room, concentrated on Ann. She began to shake and writhe, like she was having some kind of seizure. Ryuji was pretty sure he knew what she was going through. It hurt like a bitch. After a few moments, Ann fell limp. A red, cat-like mask appeared over her eyes. “You’re right,” she said, though she wasn’t speaking to anyone in the room. “No more holding back!”  
    Everything began to happen very quickly after that. Ann broke the shackles on her arms like they were paper and tore the mask off her face. Energy rushed through the room like a wildfire. Ann kicked a sword out of a guard’s hand, caught it in mid-air, and brought it down on the fake Ann with all her might. Kamoshida staggered back in fear.  
    “You know what?” Ann advanced on Kamoshida with a deadly look in her eyes. “I’m not some cheap girl you can toy with, you scumbag.”  
    “Bitch,” Kamoshida shot back. Ryuji almost felt sorry for him. Almost.  
    “You stole everything from Shiho... You destroyed her... Now it’s your turn. I will rob you of _everything_!”  
    This seemed like an excellent time for Ryuji, Akira, and Morgana to get behind Ann, because she seemed likely to go through them if they didn’t get out of her way.

* * *

  
    After dispatching the guards, Ryuji wanted to chase Kamoshida to the ends of the castle and finish the bastard. But Ann was having a hard time dealing with the whole Persona thing. Even Akira’s calm demeanor wasn’t settling her down.  
    “A search party will be coming for us soon,” warned Morgana. “We don’t have a choice—let’s retreat for now.”  
    “We were just gettin’ fired up,” Ryuji complained, “And you just had to go and get in the way... Rgh, fine...” More gently, he said, “Here, gimme your arm.” He looked to Akira. “You take the other side.” Together, they helped Ann back to the castle entrance and back into the real world.  
    It was frustrating, dealing with yet another delay—especially now that his and Akira’s expulsions were hanging over them. If he looked on the bright side, though, Ann was a hell of an ally to have on their team against Kamoshida. _I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side, that’s for sure._ Now all they had to do was conquer the Palace, steal the treasure, and give Kamoshida what he deserved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments so far! Hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it.
> 
> My version of the story is going to follow the plot of the game overall, but I'm going to start taking a few more liberties with the details.
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


	5. Phantom Thieves of Hearts

5\. Phantom Thieves of Hearts

  
    It had taken long enough—fighting through Shadows, exploring the castle, avoiding traps—but they had finally made it. Akira led the way as they snuck along the balcony in Kamoshida’s throne room. The bastard himself was down below, ordering his guards around, totally clueless. Ryuji smirked to himself. _Who’s worthless now?_  
    Beyond the throne room, there was only one room left. It was like some kinda fairy tale shit—the highest room of the tallest tower—and Ryuji figured the treasure had to be there. Akira pushed open the double doors.  
    “Whoa, holy shit!” said Ryuji. The room was full of piles of gold, jewels, coins... “That treasure thing’s gotta be in here!”  
    In the center of the room was a hazy, glowing... _something_. “Hey, what is this?” Ann asked. “It’s... floating in the air.”  
     Morgana chuckled. “That’s the Treasure. We finally found it!”  
    Skeptically, Akira asked, “That cloudy thing...?”  
    “I was planning on telling you more once we made it this far,” explained Morgana. “Simply finding the Treasure isn’t enough. We’ll need to make it materialize before we can steal it.”  
    Morgana launched into another long explanation. As far as Ryuji understood it, they had to send Kamoshida a calling card in the real world telling him they were going to steal his desires, and then they’d be able to come back and take the Treasure. And _then_ Kamoshida would have to confess all his crimes.

* * *

  
    Later, up on the school roof, the group discussed the calling card.  
    The timing was important, according to Morgana, because after they sent the calling card, the Treasure would only be steal-able for a day or so.  
    Ryuji was more than ready. “Let’s do it and steal that bastard’s heart!”  
    Akira nodded. “All right, let’s do it.”  
    “So we send the calling card in the morning,” said Ann, “And carry out the plan by the end of the day, right?”  
    “Correct,” Morgana replied. “Are you worried?”  
    Ann’s expression was deadly. “Heh. I’ve waited too long.”   
    Ryuji had to agree with her on that.  
    “So, who’s going to write the card?” asked Morgana.  
    Ryuji jumped in immediately. “Leave it to me!”  
    Ann frowned at him. “This is _important_. Are you sure you can handle the pressure?”  
    “I must agree,” Morgana chimed in.  
    Ryuji scowled. _Figures. Nobody ever trusts me to do a good job._ “I really wanna get him good!” He looked to Akira. “Lemme write it... C’mon, please?”  
    Morgana and Ann looked at Akira as well. Somehow or other, the transfer student had become the unspoken leader of the group.  
    “Ryuji can do it,” he said, permission and encouragement all wrapped into one.  
    “Yeah, I got this!” Ryuji raised a triumphant fist. He’d been itching to give Kamoshida a piece of his mind as long as he’d been at Shujin.

* * *

  
>>R: Thanks for sticking up for me earlier.  
>>AK: No problem.  
>>R: Man, there’s so much I wanna write on the calling card. It’s kinda tough figuring out what to say.  
>>AK: Want any help?  
>>R: Nah, I got it. I even made a logo for us.  
>>AK: Can’t wait to see it.  
>>R: Hell yeah. Kamoshida’s going down!

* * *

  
    The next morning, Ryuji was up and heading out the door before the sun was up. His mom hadn’t even left for work yet.  
    She watched him toe on his shoes. “Everything okay, honey?”  
    “Huh? Oh, yeah, no worries. I’m headed to school.”  
    “It’s awfully early,” she remarked.  
    “Mmhm,” Ryuji said. “I’ve, uh, got a quiz today, and I’m meetin’ up with somebody to cram before class.”  
    He could tell his mom was trying not to sound surprised when she replied, “Oh? Somebody I’d know?”  
    “Nah, he’s new. Transfer student.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Have a good day, Mom.”  
  
    Ryuji got to school before anyone else had arrived, wearing a hoodie to disguise his blond hair. Back in his track team days, there was a door into the training building that never locked properly. Sure enough, a solid yank on the handle, and he was in.  
    He’d made the calling card out of letters cut from magazines, like something out of a movie. He was particularly proud of the logo: a face made of dark-masked eyes and a wicked grin, wearing a top hat. It looked badass.  
    First stop was the teacher’s lounge, where he fired up the copy machine and starting running off copies. After the first fifty or so were done, he headed down a hallway, pinning up calling cards on every bulletin board. Then back to the copier to get the rest of the cards, and down the hallway in the other direction.  
    When he was done, he surveyed his work with satisfaction. Not a chance Kamoshida would miss this.   
  
    Kamoshida’s reaction was as explosive as Ryuji had been expecting. “Who’s responsible for this!?”  
    Poking out of Akira’s bag, Morgana chuckled, “Look at that. A predictable reaction for someone who knows what we mean by ‘distorted desires’.”  
    “I think it’s hittin’ him pretty hard,” Ryuji agreed with a grin.  
    Kamoshida caught sight of Ryuji, Ann, and Akira standing together. He glared at the boys, while Ann hunched her shoulders at stared at the floor. “Was it you two!?”  
    Akira shrugged, a perfectly calculated gesture of nonchalance. “What’re you talking about?”  
    Ryuji snorted.  
    “So you’re playing dumb?” Kamoshida snapped. “Well, it’s not a problem. You’ll be expelled soon enough anyway.” He stormed off.  
    “Judging from Kamoshida’s response,” Morgana said, “I’m sure we had an effect on his Palace! This afternoon is our one chance to steal the Treasure.”

* * *

  
    Kamoshida’s Treasure had materialized, just like Morgana said. It was an enormous, golden crown.   
    Ryuji examined the Treasure. “That was easier than I thought! I thought for sure there’d be some insane trap or something.”  
    “Don’t jinx us,” Akira responded.   
    Apparently he had jinxed them. With Morgana barking (meowing?) orders, the three humans started to carry the crown out of the throne room. All of a sudden, a volleyball spike out of nowhere knocked it out of their hands.  
    Kamoshida—the bastard. Even after everything, he was still smirking and monologuing about how great he was. When he morphed into a twenty-foot tall, four-armed monster with a giant tongue, though, Ryuji had to admit it got pretty weird.   
    The fight against demon-Kamoshida was tough, but they were able to hold him off long enough for Morgana to sneak onto the balcony and knock the crown off his head. Reverted to his slightly-less-monstrous Shadow form, Kamoshida tried to grab the crown and run.   
  
    Ryuji and Akira could only stand by and watch as Ann pressed him toward the balcony, like a cat stalking its prey. Her Persona readied a fireball.   
    “Please!” Kamoshida whimpered. “I beg you—please forgive me!”   
    “Shut up,” Ann snapped. “I bet everyone told you the same. But you—you took everything from them!” A fireball slammed into the wall above Kamoshida’s head, and he shrieked.  
    “I accept defeat,” the Shadow said pathetically. “You want this? Take it.” He threw the crown to Akira. “Go ahead and finish me off. You do that... and my real self will go down too. You have that right, since you won...”  
    Ann’s hand clenched in a fist. Carmen launched a fireball, as Akira and Ryuji shouted in unison. The flame hit the wall, only missing Kamoshida by inches. “If his mind shuts down, he can’t admit his crimes,” she said, her voice icy.  
  
    And then it was over. Treasure stolen, Kamoshida defeated, mission accomplished. They escaped the Palace as it collapsed around them. Back in the real world, the crown turned out to be Kamoshida’s gold medal, the thing that had made him ‘king’ of the school. Best of all, Kamoshida broke down in tears at a school assembly and admitted to everything. Their expulsions were revoked; Ann even got to tell Shiho that Kamoshida had confessed. From where Ryuji was standing, life was suddenly looking up.


	6. Toast to the Phantom Thieves

6\. Toast to the Phantom Thieves

  
    The only thing sweeter than victory was a victory meal.  
    It had been Ann’s idea—pawn off Kamoshida’s medal, and use the money to treat themselves to an extravagant meal. She’d even suggested the place. When Ryuji saw the size of the buffet, he understood why.  
    “This is awesome! Look at all this freakin’ food!”  
    Akira guarded their table so the other two could hit the buffet. While Ann raided the dessert table, Ryuji went for the meat dishes. Beef, pork, chicken, more beef... he was going to eat ‘til he puked.   
    Once Akira had gotten some food and they were all sitting down to eat, Ryuji showed the other two the Phantom Thieves fan site he had found online. “I think most people don’t believe it, but some of ‘em actually seem grateful. Pretty cool, huh?  
    “I was just desperate to deal with my own problems,” Ann said, “But seeing people saying we gave them hope feels... strange.”  
    “Yeah,” agreed Ryuji. “Hey, what do we do now?”  
    “We eat,” Akira answered.  
    “Of course, but...”   
    Ann interrupted Ryuji. “This place has a time limit! Only fifty minutes left!”  
  
    “Ughhh...” Ryuji groaned half an hour later. “I think I gotta go to the bathroom...”  
    Akira nodded in agreement, and they hurried off to the find restrooms.  
    When they were waiting for the elevator to go back down, a group of men in fancy suits pushed past them.  
    “Hey,” Ryuji snapped. “You’re cuttin’ in line!”  
    One of the men turned and glared at him. “What do you want?”   
    “We were here first,” Akira said.  
    “We’re in a hurry,” the man said, as if that was a reasonable answer.  
    “Oh, I’m sorry,” responded Ryuji sarcastically. “So you can butt in front of other people if _you’re_ in a hurry?”  
    The man wearing orange-tinted glasses, who had been ordering the others around, turned toward the elevator door and dismissively said, “It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last. Have they started a day care?”  
    “What?” Ryuji knew he was getting wound up, he could feel the blood pounding in his ears, but it just wasn’t fair.  
    “Sir, we don’t have time for this,” said one of the subordinates. Just then, the elevator doors opened, and the man shoved Ryuji back.  
    “That dick really pissed me off,” Ryuji said when the elevator car had gone. “He wasn’t even hidin’ the fact that he looks down on everyone.” He looked to Akira to back him up, but his friend was pinching the bridge of his nose, like he was in pain. “...What’s wrong?”  
    “Don’t worry about it,” Akira responded.  
    “That’s just gonna make me worry more, y’know.”  
    “I bet it’s because he rarely eats well,” Morgana declared. “Anyway, let’s get the next elevator car so we can go back to Lady Ann.”  
  
    The mood had changed when they returned to Ann in the restaurant. Apparently some woman had bumped into Ann and blamed her for it. _It’s like, no matter what, adults are always looking down on us,_ Ryuji thought.  
    “Hey Morgana,” he said.  
    The cat poked his head out of Akira’s bag. “What is it?”   
    “Anyone could have a Palace, yeah?”  
    “Anyone with a strong, distorted desire.”  
    “Same for them havin’ a change of heart if their Treasure gets stolen?”  
    “That would be the case,” Morgana confirmed.  
    “Why are you bringing this up all of the sudden?” Ann asked.  
    Ryuji leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “We had trouble earlier, too. These selfish shitheads who just looked down on everyone else... I was just wonderin’ if we’d be able to change those kindsa people, too.”  
    Realization dawned on Ann’s face. “You mean, you want to continue as the Phantom Thieves?”  
    He nodded. “I’ve been thinkin’. We put a lot of work into changin’ Kamoshida’s heart, but hardly anybody believes in the Phantom Thieves... Plus, those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thankin’ us. Us, of all people!”  
    “There are lots of victims in the world,” Akira said thoughtfully.  
    “I... I agree,” said Ann. “If we ignore people who are in trouble, I’d go back to being the same as I was before.”  
    “With you three under my tutelage, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish as phantom thieves,” Morgana told them.  
    Ryuji nodded. “Shouldn’t we be able to help out the people who need it? What do you say, Akira?”  
    “I want to help people,” he answered.  
    “All right, it’s settled!” Ryuji crowed. “We’re gonna catch all these shitty adults by surprise, and make ourselves known to the world!”  
    “How are we going to decide who to go after?” Ann asked.  
    He thought about the question. “Let’s look for someone even bigger than Kamoshida. That’ll really make people believe in us!”  
    “It should be somebody we all agree on, though.” Ann said.  
    Morgana nodded. “I agree.”  
    Ann looked to Akira. “Are you okay being our leader?”  
    Akira nodded. “All right.”  
    “Yeah, good call,” Ryuji agreed. He wasn’t sure why, but Akira seemed like the natural choice to be the leader. Then he laughed. “Hell yeah, we’re doin’ this! Here’s to the Phantom Thieves!”

* * *

  
    After leaving the restaurant, the three students (plus Morgana) headed towards Shibuya station.   
    “Guess I’ll see you guys at school tomorrow,” Ryuji said.  
    “Hold up,” Morgana said. “There’s something I want to show you all first.”  
    “What’s that?” Ann asked.  
    “Ryuji, show me that website again. The Phantom Thieves site.”  
    “Uh, okay, sure.” Ryuji held up his phone.  
    Morgana chuckled. “Just as I expected. Look, people are posting requests—things they want the Phantom Thieves to help them with. Find one with a full name.”  
    Ann pulled out her phone, too, and started scanning the site. She read one post out loud: “I don’t know what to do about my ex who’s stalking me... His name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara.”  
    “That should work,” Morgana said. “Now pull up the Meta-Nav.”  
    Ryuji grinned. “We’re just gonna jump right in to another Palace!? Fine by me!”  
    “What happened to picking someone unanimously?” Ann reminded him.  
    “This one is a little different,” Morgana explained. “In the Meta-Nav, input the name and the keyword ‘Mementos’.”  
  
    The Meta-Nav got a hit, and with that dizzying feeling of vertigo, they found themselves in an empty, creepy version of the subway system. Morgana explained that this place—Mementos—was the collective Palace of the general public.  
    Thoughtfully, Ann said, “So, what you’re saying is... Using this place, we can even change the hearts of people who don’t have a Palace?”  
    “Correct! It’ll make more sense if we do it once. Let’s go find that Nakanohara guy.”  
    Leaving aside the fact that Morgana _transformed_ into a _bus_ to drive them around Mementos, the whole thing was pretty straightforward. They found Shadow-Nakanohara in an especially distorted bit of subway tunnel. When they defeated the Shadow, he seemed to come to his senses about stalking his ex.  
    “I was wrong... Please forgive me.” Nakanohara’s Shadow said. “That evil teacher used me, then threw me out on the street. I just didn’t want anyone to throw me out again...”  
    “So some selfish bastard was making you suffer too,” Ann said sympathetically. “Still, you shouldn’t have dragged an unrelated woman into your mess.”  
    “Yes, I know that now.” The Shadow was silent for a moment, then said, “Hey, you can change people’s hearts, right? In that case... won’t you change Madarame’s heart!? Before more people fall victim to him...”  
    Nakanohara’s Shadow vanished, leaving behind a glowing orb—the bud of a Treasure, Morgana explained, that might have eventually grown into a full-blown Palace.  
    “Change Madarame’s heart...” Ann said. “What do you think he meant by that? Who’s Madarame?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably won't be able to continue updating quite as often. I'll make sure I post at least one chapter a week, more if I'm able. Thanks for reading!


	7. Running and Ramen

7\. Running and Ramen

  
>>R: You free after school?  
>>AK: Aren’t you in class right now?  
>>R: Yeah, so?  
>>R: Anyway, come talk to me after!  
>>AK: Okay  
  
    “Yo, Akira.” Ryuji waved as his friend came out of his classroom.  
    “What’s up?”  
    “I’ve been thinkin’ about tryin’ to run again. Fightin’ in that other world was a total shock. I couldn’t move like I used to. It just felt... lame. Plus, remember how I tripped when we were tryin’ to get out of Kamoshida’s Palace?”  
    Akira nodded.  
    “Well, anyway, I started thinking, maybe I need to build up my muscles again, get back in shape. Anything’s gotta be better than this flimsy body, right?” He gestured at himself, then blushed when Akira’s eyes swept down and back up again. “Uh, and besides, then I can be more useful fightin’ Shadows. So what d’you think?”  
    “Sounds like a good idea.”  
    “Hell yeah. Anyways, don’t act like it’s only me who’s gonna be doin’ this. You’re gettin’ in on it too.”  
    Akira raised an eyebrow.  
    “It’d be pointless if I was the only one gettin’ super fast, right? C’mon, go change into your gym clothes and let’s do some training!”  
    Akira stared at Ryuji for a beat, then quirked a half-smile. “Okay, sure.”  
  
    After running laps around the gym, Ryuji was winded. “Ughhh... Damn, my legs’re all tight.” He looked at Akira, who was breathing hard as well. _At least he’s not making me look bad._ It was discouraging, though, thinking about how different it was during his track star days.  
    “Before Kamoshida came along,” he told Akira, “The track team was the biggest thing this school had goin’ for it. But it all changed after he got our coach fired and took over as the sub.” Ryuji shook his head, angry at the memory. “Right from the start he was tryin’ to get rid of us. He’d give us crazy workouts, then when we couldn’t do ‘em, he’d add even more on top of that... Day after day was nothing but that bullshit. He was going after me, especially.”  
    “Because you were the star runner?”  
    Ryuji scuffed his shoe in the dirt. “I guess, yeah. It’s crazy to think he was pushin’ me so hard, tryin’ to get me to injure myself so I couldn’t run anymore.”  
    Akira nodded in agreement, his face set with something that looked like anger. “That’s how you broke your leg.”  
    “Mmhm,” Ryuji confirmed. “Even after that, I’d still come to practice and sit on the sidelines, just to support the other guys. But Kamoshida... he knew I was the kinda guy who’d fight back. So he was always tryin’ to get to me. When he brought up my parents...” He trailed off.  
    “What about them?” Akira said quietly.  
    Ryuji ran a hand through his hair, not sure if he wanted to bare all those scars. Then again, even though he’d only known Akira for a couple of weeks, he trusted the guy. _Hell, he’s probably the best friend I’ve had since coming to Shujin._ He sighed. “Truth is, my mom’s the only one I got. All my dad did when he was still around was drink. Sometimes he’d even... beat me, or my mom. I dunno how that bastard Kamoshida found out, but he told the whole goddamn team.” His mind flashed back to that day—the shock and the shame and the fury of it—so he shook his head to clear it and looked Akira in the eye. “And, as you can guess, I lost it and hit him.”  
    “He deserved it.”  
    “Well, yeah, but... It was like he wanted me to do it. He called it an ‘act of violence’ and shut the whole team down. Thanks to that, the other guys on the team treat me like a traitor. And they ain’t wrong. ‘Cause of me, they all lost their shot at the championship.”  
    “Do you regret it?” Akira asked.  
    He considered the question. “A little bit yes, and a little bit no.” Then, suddenly feeling self-conscious, he added, “C’mon, don’t ask me tough questions like that. I’m not very smart, y’know!”  
    Akira gave him a questioning look, though Ryuji wasn’t sure why.  
    “Anyway, that’s all in the past! I’m only thinkin’ about the future now!” As if on cue, his stomach growled. “Oh man, and right now, there’s gotta be some ramen in my future. I know a great place, lemme take you. I mean, I totally gotta hear about your past, now that I told you my whole story.”

* * *

  
    As Ryuji dug in to his ramen, Akira explained how he ended up with a criminal record.  
    “I was just an ordinary student,” he started. “My life was pretty boring. Then, one night I was coming home from studying at the library, and I heard what sounded like people arguing. When I got closer, I saw this man—I think he was drunk—grabbing on to a woman. She was yelling for help.”  
    “For real?” Ryuji asked through a mouthful of noodles. “Like, he was tryin’ to take advantage of her?”  
    Akira nodded. “Yeah, that’s what it looked like. I had to do something, you know? I couldn’t just stand by or keep walking.”  
    “Yeah,” Ryuji agreed. “So what’d you do?”  
    “I went up and grabbed his shoulder, just to pull him away from her. But he lost his balance and fell, I think he hit something on the way down. His glasses got broken and he was bleeding.”  
    “What!? That’s not your fault, though!”  
    Akira shook his head, sighed. Pushed his glasses up. Finally, he said, “Well, whoever he was, he must have been rich or something, because he told the police it was my fault, and they arrested me. The woman backed him up... I think she was afraid of him.”  
    “That’s bullshit! So you got a criminal record for assault, and you didn’t even hit him!? And they shipped you out to the city on probation, too!” Ryuji was furious.  
    “Yeah.”  
    “The hell, man! How much shittier can that asshole get!? Just hearin’ your story makes me angry!” He ate some more of his ramen, and when he had calmed down, he said, “Huh, we might be more alike than I originally thought. Like how everybody sees us as troublemakers, but it’s really shitty adults who got _us_ into trouble.”  
    “You’re right,” Akira agreed.  
    Ryuji smiled at him. “You’re the first guy that made me think that.” Mentally, he kicked himself. _What’s that even supposed to mean!?_ He glanced at Akira’s bowl. “Ugh, what, you barely touched your food.” He added some ginger.  
    “What are you doing?” Akira laughed.  
    “Just lemme do it. I gotta thank you for helpin’ me. From here on out, I’ve got your back like you’ve got mine.”  
    “It’s a deal.”


	8. The Artist and the Fraud

8\. The Artist and the Fraud

  
    It was all over. The end had come—they’d finally finished exams. If history was anything to go by, Ryuji’s scores wouldn’t be good. Still, whatever the results turned out to be, Ryuji was glad they were finished. Exams had distracted the Phantom Thieves from the really important assignment: finding a new target to take down. He wanted to find someone even bigger than Kamoshida, someone who’d really get everyone’s attention.  
    He was considering where they might find a target as he, Ann, and Akira got off the subway together.  
    Ann kept glancing back over her shoulder. “Oh my god,” she hissed. “That guy got off!”  
    “What guy?” Akira replied.  
    “He was staring at me on the train, and I just saw him get off. I think he’s following me!”  
    Ryuji yawned and stretched dramatically, knowing it would irritate Ann.  
    Sure enough, she smacked him on the arm. “At least _act_ like you care!”  
    “Fine, c’mon.” Ryuji started walking up the escalator, passing the people who were standing still. Ann and Akira followed behind.  
    “Stand right here,” he told Ann when they came out into the bright sunshine of Shibuya. “We’ll be just out of sight, but if this guy tries to bother you, we’ll step in and teach ‘im a lesson.”  
    “Okay,” Ann said. “Thanks, Ryuji.”  
    “You got it.”  
  
    Almost as soon as Ryuji was out of view of the passengers coming up from the station, a lanky, pale kid in a crisp white dress shirt appeared. He looked around for a moment, spotted Ann, and started walking toward her. He even raised a hand, like he was going to grab her or something.  
     _What a creep,_ Ryuji thought. In sync, he and Akira stepped in from opposite sides, creating a wall between their friend and the creeper.  
    The kid tilted his head in confusion, like a puppy trying to place an unfamiliar sound. His dark hair fell over one eye. Ryuji stared at him, then looked at Ann.  
    “Hey, uh… are you sure it’s him? Or are you just that self-conscious.”  
    “Rgh, I’m not—!” Ann started, but the strange boy interrupted.  
    “Is there something you want?” he asked.  
    Ann pushed forward, pointing a finger in the stranger’s face. “That’s my line! You were the one stalking me!”  
    “Stalking you?” The boy pushed his hair out of his eyes. “That’s outrageous.”  
    “I know you’ve been following me! Ever since the train!”  
    Before he could answer, a black car pulled up and the window rolled down, revealing an older man. “My goodness, I had wondered why you left the car,” he said to the strange boy. “So this is where your passion led.”  
    “The hell?” Ryuji said, to no one in particular.  
    “I saw you from the car,” the boy told Ann earnestly. “And I couldn’t help myself from chasing after you. I didn’t even notice the calls from Sensei... but thank goodness I caught up to you.”  
    “Okaaay...” Ann said.  
    “You’re the woman I’ve been searching for all this time!” he continued, and Ryuji mentally upgraded his creeper status. “Please, won’t you be the model for my next art piece!?”  
    Confused, Ann asked, “Model?”  
    The boy nodded. “All that I’ve drawn ‘til now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you unlike anyone else.”  
    From inside Akira’s bag, Morgana hissed, “This man’s highly suspicious!”    Surprisingly, Ryuji agreed with the cat. To Akira, he muttered, “Ain’t this a recruit for some shady business?”  
    The stranger continued to address Ann. “Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?”  
    “Hold your horses!” Ryuji interrupted. “Who’re you anyways?”  
    “Oh, where are my manners? I’m a second-year at Kosei High’s fine-arts division. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa.” Kitagawa pushed past Ryuji to stand face-to-face with Ann. “I’m Madarame-sensei’s pupil. I’m striving to become an artist.”  
     _Madarame..._ Ryuji thought. _Why does that name sound familiar...?_  
    Ann seemed to recognize it. “Huh!? Do you mean _that_ Madarame? The one who was on ‘Good Morning Japan’ the other day?”  
    It turned out Kitagawa had meant _that_ Madarame, a famous artist. Ryuji didn’t know shit about art, but apparently this guy was a big deal, and Kitagawa was his protégé, and they had all just gotten invited to an art show.  
    More interestingly, Madarame was the name of the ‘evil teacher’ the Shadow had mentioned in Mementos. If it was the same Madarame, then it was suspicious as hell. Ryuji figured it was worth going to an art exhibition if they could get some info.

* * *

  
    Even though Madarame put on this ‘sweet old man’ act, his cognitive world was totally twisted. After the art show, they’d discovered that Madarame did have a Palace, and they’d even figured out the keyword to get in. The Palace was a museum, and the paintings inside were all people—or, at least, the way Madarame viewed people. They found a portrait of Nakanohara, the guy from Mementos, and they found Yusuke Kitagawa, too.  
    It seemed that Madarame collected pupils like art pieces. There were rumors that he plagiarized their work, maybe even abused them. One former student of Madarame’s had committed suicide. To Ryuji, it didn’t seem so different from Kamoshida, using the volleyball team to boost his own glory.  
    The most frustrating part was Kitagawa. No matter what they said, he kept wanting to defend Madarame. He wouldn’t admit that his work was being stolen or that he was being abused. Ryuji couldn’t understand why Kitagawa didn’t want to escape, didn’t want to bring Madarame to justice for his crimes.  
  
    With or without the art student’s help, the Phantom Thieves were going to make Madarame have a change of heart. They pushed forward through the Palace, until they reached a door that could only be opened from the inside. Morgana told them they’d have to open a door in Madarame’s house in order to change his cognition and open the door in the Palace.  
    It was a risky, delicate operation, and Ryuji thought it’d be a miracle if they succeeded. Ann had to get inside the atelier, distract Kitagawa long enough for Morgana to pick the lock, and then Madarame had to _see_ that the door was open, so Ryuji and Akira could get through the matching door inside the Palace.  
    He really hoped Ann and Morgana could pull off their part of the plan. He also really hoped that creep Kitagawa wasn’t looking to take advantage of Ann with this ‘nude modeling’ shit.  
  
    Akira and Ryuji—or rather, Joker and Skull—waited inside the Palace for the door to open. Skull bounced impatiently on his heels. “It’s almost time.”  
    “This will work,” Joker assured him.  
    A few minutes later, the doors burst open and the lasers shut down. “They seriously did it!” Skull exclaimed. “Let’s go.”  
    Skull and Joker rushed past the doors, defeated the guard, and found the security room. Joker disengaged the security protocols. Their part of the mission complete, the headed back the way they’d come.  
    “I hope Panther and Mona managed to get away,” Skull said.  
    Before he had finished the sentence, they heard a scream. Far above them, an opening in the Metaverse appeared and three figures came falling out of it—Panther, Mona, and Kitagawa.  
    Of course, Kitagawa was confused, so they had to go through the whole Metaverse explanation again. At least it seemed like he was finally starting to admit that Madarame wasn’t the kindly art teacher he pretended to be.  
    As they headed for the exit with Kitagawa in tow, they were met by Shadow Madarame himself, dressed up like a gaudy joke of a shogun. Confronted with Madarame’s true colors, Kitagawa accepted the painful reality—that Madarame was a liar and a cheat who saw his pupils as objects to be used.  
  
    Akira had awakened to his Persona when Ryuji’s life was in danger. Ryuji had awakened to his in order to save Akira, and out of a refusal to let Kamoshida win. Ann had awakened to hers when she finally let herself get angry. And Yusuke Kitagawa awakened to his Persona when he accepted the truth about Madarame.  
    “I wanted to believe it wasn’t true,” he told Shadow Madarame. “I had clouded my vision for so long... My eyes were truly blind. Blind, and unable to see the true self behind this one horrible man!”  
    Ryuji wondered what the odds were that four highschoolers brought together by circumstance would all turn out to be Persona users. Whether it was chance or fate, they had found another powerful ally in Yusuke. Taking down Madarame now was just a matter of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My canon Ryuji/Ann dynamic is "squabbling siblings who will kill you if you mess with the other one."


	9. Snapshots I

9\. Snapshots I

  
    They were making progress on Madarame’s Palace, but they couldn’t go into the Metaverse every day, so one afternoon, Ryuji suggested to Akira that they do some training instead.  
    The workout left him feeling frustrated. “Ugh, dammit! I wanna move better, but I just can’t. I was trainin’ for nationals back in the day, but now I totally suck balls.”  
    Before Akira could respond, another voice cut across the courtyard. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”  
    Ryuji was surprised to see Nakaoka and Takeishi, along with some other members of the former track team. Nakaoka was the one who had yelled. He gave Ryuji a dismissive look. “Running, huh? I saw you from the window.”  
    Takeishi chimed in, “What, you gonna try to come crawling back to the track team?”  
    “Huh? Hell no,” Ryuji responded.  
    “Sure,” Nakaoka said skeptically. “Speaking of which, this was your secret training spot, wasn’t it? Well, it’s our spot now. You know, us. The former track team. We don’t even have a locker room anymore, thanks to _someone_ I know.”  
    Ryuji looked away. Nakaoka was right. It was his fault the track team had been shut down.  
    “Let’s not fight.” Akira’s tone was calm, but Ryuji thought he heard a hint of a threat. Akira had this way of saying two things at once—the words he actually said, and the meaning hiding under them. In this case, the undercurrent seemed to be saying, _Don’t mess with us._  
    “We ain’t fightin’...” Ryuji told his friend. He had his own subtext: _I deserve this._  
    “Yeah,” Nakaoka agreed. “This isn’t anything like a fight. Not even close. Hold on... aren’t you that transfer student? You’re really gonna hang around with this loser?”  
    Takeishi piped up again. “You better watch out. He’ll hit you the second he gets pissed off. I heard his dad was the same way. Like father, like son, right?”  
     _Those assholes..._ Ryuji thought. Even though he’d already told Akira the story, he still felt his face heating up with shame. As always, anger bubbled up just behind it. “That don’t got anything to do with this.”  
    “Calm down, Ryuji.” From anyone else, those words might have made him even angrier, but coming from Akira, they didn’t sound patronizing or dismissive. Akira spoke softly, as if the other runners weren’t even there. _It’s okay,_ he seemed to say. _You’re more than this._  
    Just like that, the anger faded away. “You’re right.” Looking at Nakaoka and the others, he said, “Look, back then, I...”  
    Nakaoka interrupted. “I don’t need to hear your excuses. Everyone was going through the same bullshit with Kamoshida. The beatings, the impossible exercises... _we_ put up with all of it for the track team.” The other student took a step closer to Ryuji. “But no. You had to go and fuck all of that up! I was stupid for ever thinking you were my teammate.” He turned to leave, dismissively adding, “That’s all I have to say to you. I’m outta here.”  
  
    After Nakaoka and the rest of the track team had left, Ryuji scrubbed a hand over his hair, still feeling wound up. “I nearly smacked him when he was talkin’ about my dad,” he admitted. “I haven’t changed at all...” It felt like he needed to confess to Akira, to admit what a mess he was. When he looked up, though, he didn’t find any disappointment in Akira’s face.  
    Ryuji felt a swell of gratitude. “Y’know... you actually helped me calm down a little. I’m glad you were here with me.” The words felt like too much and not enough at the same time. Not knowing what else to say, he put a hand up. “Thanks, man!”   
    Akira smiled as he raised a hand to accept Ryuji’s high five.

* * *

  
>>R: What’re you doin’ after class? Wanna hang out?  
>>AK: I have something else I have to take care of.  
>>AK: Sorry.  
>>R: Oh, okay.  
>>R: Maybe tomorrow?  
>>AK: Maybe, I’ll let you know.  
  
    Ryuji frowned at his phone. He kind of hated himself for being so needy. _Akira has a life outside of hanging out with you,_ he told himself. In fact, it seemed like Akira had an awful lot going on outside of hanging out with Ryuji. He’d taken on two or three part-time jobs, he helped out at the coffeeshop where he was living, he studied at the diner and went to the park with Ann and apparently had signed up for a drug trial with some doctor, which sounded sketchy as hell to Ryuji.  
    Ryuji’s life was boring by comparison. If he wasn’t hanging out with Akira, he might go to the arcade, or he might just go home and play video games or read manga. Since his leg injury and Kamoshida shutting down the track team, he’d actually been pretty isolated. It hadn’t bothered him until he met Akira. He knew it was stupid, but now, he felt lonely by himself.  
    Still, he’d keep texting and suggesting they hang out. Even if Akira only said yes one time in five, those days were always the best.

* * *

  
    Ryuji stretched and sighed happily. “Ahh, I freakin’ love weekends!”  
    It was a few days later, and the two were hanging out in the attic of LeBlanc, enjoying a quiet Sunday. Ryuji was relaxing on the couch, while Akira sat on the only chair.  
    “This place is pretty sweet,” Ryuji said, indicating the attic.  
    “It’s all right,” Akira agreed.   
    “You’ve got the whole place to yourself after Boss leaves for the day, yeah? My place is way more cramped. Wish I had a big room all to myself.”  
    The two sat in friendly silence for a few minutes.  
    “Anyway, I just wanted to say, thanks. You know, for invitin’ me over today. I’m, uh—I’m glad we’re friends.”  
    “Me too.”  
    Suddenly Ryuji laughed. “Man, I can never tell what you’re thinking! Why don’t you talk more!?”  
    “I figured you talk enough for the both of us,” Akira replied.  
    Ryuji’s face fell. All at once, he could hear that judgmental voice in his head—the one that sounded a little bit too much like his dad. _Shut up, shut up, shut up... I’m bothering him, he thinks I’m annoying... I should just go..._  
    Akira put a hand on his shoulder, startling him. “No, I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “I like spending time with you. I like listening to you talk.”  
    Ryuji shook his head. He wanted to believe it, but years of disappointment had taught him better. “It’s fine, man, you don’t hafta be nice to me. Sorry for buggin’ you.” He started to stand up.  
    “Ryuji,” Akira said firmly, grabbing his friend’s wrist. For a long moment, they stared at each other. Akira shook his head. “Don’t go.”  
    He hesitated. He wanted to stay, wanted to trust what Akira was saying. Ryuji glanced over at the TV.  
    “I kicked your ass at that game last time...” he said. “Wanna rematch? I’m not gonna go easy on you, though.”  
    Akira smiled, that quiet, genuine smile that made Ryuji’s stomach do flips. “I’ve been practicing,” he said. “I’m going to beat you one of these days.”  
    The tension between them evaporated. Ryuji grinned and grabbed a controller. “Hell yeah, let’s do this!”


	10. Snapshots II

10\. Snapshots II

  
    “This shit’s the best, man! Ramen is life!”  
    Akira only shook his head and laughed.  
    “Light soup like this really gets your body goin’ again after a good run, y’know. We used to come all the way out here after practice and...” He trailed off. “Uh, I guess that’s all in the past.”  
    He looked over at his friend. “By the way, I’ve seen Nakaoka around a few times... But for some reason it don’t look like he’s gettin’ along with the others.”  
    “Are you worried about him?” Akira asked.  
    “Yeah, kinda. I’ve been thinkin’ about what he said the other day... how the whole track team was puttin’ up with Kamoshida’s shit. And how I effed it all up for ‘em.” Ryuji sighed. “I think he was right. They don’t even got a club room anymore, so they’ve been storin’ all their stuff behind the gym. They can’t use any school gear either, so they just run laps around the block for practice. There ain’t really a place for outcasts like that... I should know that better than anyone.”  
    He lapsed into silence for a little while. Akira seemed content to sit quietly. Eventually, Ryuji said, “It’s good they’re keepin’ their heads low now, though. I don’t want ‘em endin’ up like me.”  
    “Like you?” Akira said. “But you’re doing great.”  
    Ryuji laughed in surprise. “Y’know what? You’re right.” _I’m doing better than I have in... years._ “I guess now that I’m thinkin’ about it, tryin’ to fit in is a real pain in the ass. I mean, I’d never’ve met you if I wasn’t an outcast, right?”  
    “Exactly.” Akira smiled at him, and Ryuji grinned in response.  
    “So, uh... it’s all good.” He leaned closer. “For real though, it’s been a shitton of fun! Hangin’ out with you guys is so freakin’ cool!”  
    “I’m glad I met you, too,” Akira said fondly, and Ryuji’s heart swelled. He’d hang on to that memory for a long time.

* * *

  
    Ryuji swung hard at the fastball the machine had lobbed at him, the bat connecting at just the right moment to send the baseball soaring to the far end of the batting cage.  
    Mementos was going to make him go crazy. It wasn’t the creepy subway, or sitting inside the flesh-temperature cat bus, or the targets they found and forced to have a change of heart. It was Akira. Every time they went into Mementos, every time they fought a Shadow, Ryuji watched his friend direct the rest of them with a tactician’s skill. But Akira always took the most risks, intercepted the most attacks, poured out the most of himself through his Personas. Often, Akira would down three or four enemies before the rest of the team could get a hit in.  
    Every time Akira took a blow, Ryuji flinched. Every time Akira ordered Morgana to heal one of the other party members with no regard for his own health, Ryuji worried. With each successive Shadow they fought, Ryuji watched him get more and more tired, until he literally couldn’t fight anymore and agreed to leave Mementos. At this rate, Ryuji wouldn’t need bleach, because Akira was giving him so many gray hairs.  
    Which was why, even though he’d never been much of a baseball guy, he found himself at the batting cages after school several times a week. The faster he swung the bat, the harder he connected with the ball, the stronger he became. Every home-run-winning swing was a Shadow he could take out before it had a chance to hit Akira.  
    He chose not to examine this protective urge too closely. That was the other good thing about batting practice—it let him shut out his thoughts and worries and fears. He swung until his arms were shaking from exhaustion, and then he would go home and fall into bed, dreaming of lead pipes and lurking Shadows and a long black coat.

* * *

  
    Harajuku on a Sunday afternoon was, as always, crowded with a dizzying kaleidoscope of people: locals, tourists, young and old, teenagers in maid outfits and cosplaying as anime characters, people taking pictures and posing for selfies. Ryuji had dragged Akira with him to look at running shoes, but now they were just enjoying people-watching.  
    “Did you see that girl!?” Ryuji asked. No response. He looked over at Akira, who didn’t seem interested in her at all. He elbowed him in the ribs. “Uh, hello? She was wearin’ a bikini top and short shorts, how did you miss that? D’you think she’s American?”  
    Akira shrugged but didn’t answer.  
    Ryuji sighed, shoulders drooping. “Dude, it’s almost summer, the girls are hot, how are you not paying attention?”  
    The other boy just shrugged again, but Ryuji was starting to read him better, and there was a tense look around his eyes that his glasses couldn’t quite hide.  
    “... Is everything okay? Did I say somethin'?” Still no response from his friend. “Hey, if something’s botherin’ you, you can tell me.”  
    Akira rubbed the back of his neck, a sure sign that he was uncomfortable. After a moment, he said, “Ryuji... I don’t like girls.”  
    “Oh.” _Oh_. “Uh—I didn’t...”  
    “Please, don’t...” Akira hesitated. “Just forget I said anything.” Abruptly, he started to walk away, heading for the train station.  
     _No freakin’ way._ “Hang on! Akira, _wait!_ ” Akira paused, and Ryuji knew he had one shot not to screw this up. “Listen, I know I’m an idiot sometimes, and I say stupid shit.” He ran a hand through his hair, trying to find the right words. “But I don’t mind if you don’t like girls. Far as I’m concerned, it’s okay if you like boys. It’s okay if you don’t like _anyone_ that way.”  
    He looked up to find Akira watching him closely. _Just tell him._ “Um. You—you should know... about me... I—” _Just tell him already!_ “I like girls, but I like guys, too. I’ve, uh, never really told anyone that before.” His gaze fell to his feet and he stared at his shoes, too much of a coward to look at Akira’s reaction.  
    There was a long silence, even for his friend. When Ryuji finally looked up again, he couldn’t read the expression on Akira’s face. Was he surprised, or was that anger? Was he disgusted at what Ryuji had said, or disappointed that Ryuji hadn’t been honest from the start?  
    Still, Akira said nothing. The tension was too much. “C’mon, say something—don’t leave me hangin’!”  
    Akira shook his head slightly, as if he had come out of a trance. “Ryuji… Thank you.”  
    “Huh?”  
    “Thank you for telling me.”  
    “Oh. Back at you.” The tension of the moment broke, but there was still something heavy between them. It felt like their friendship had just crossed some invisible line into new territory—territory of deeply-guarded secrets and even deeper trust. Whatever this was, there was no going back.


	11. Sayuri's Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, readers. I have been traveling and living out of a suitcase the last two weeks, and so I haven't updated. ALSO, I realized I skipped a chapter (I uploaded 12 before 11). So I'm fixing that now, and I'll have another new chapter to upload tomorrow to make up for being away.
> 
> Thanks for reading and commenting!

11\. Sayuri’s Secret

  
    The Phantom Thieves gathered in the walkway in Shibuya. It was time to send the calling card and steal Madarame’s treasure.  
    “A calling card, hm?” Yusuke mused. “Will he take it seriously? He’s received slanderous letters before.”  
    Ryuji gave a predatory smile. “He’ll know best whether the crime written on its is for real or not.”  
    “Wait,” Morgana said. “Are you going to write it again, Ryuji? That last one was questionable at best…”  
    “Ugh, c’mon! Don’t say that!”  
    After some debate, it was decided that Ryuji and Yusuke would work together to design the calling card.  
    “Don’t let us down,” instructed Morgana.  
  
    “A calling card… You did this before, yes? With your teacher?”  
    Yusuke and Ryuji were sitting in a booth at the diner. Yusuke had his sketchbook out on the table, idly drawing some interlocking patterns.  
    “Yeah, hang on, I took a picture.” Ryuji flipped through the pictures on his phone until he found the image of the calling card.  
    Yusuke frowned at the phone, then tilted his head to the side and frowned at it a while longer. “This is… rather crude.”  
    “Hey!” Ryuji replied. “We ain’t all fancy art students, y’know!”  
    “I must admit, I appreciate the concept behind this design. It was inspired by Joker’s mask, was it not?”  
    “Uhh…” Ryuji looked down at his phone. He had never thought of it that way, but now he could see that the mask did look kind of like Joker’s.  
    Yusuke was already sketching, capturing the curves of Joker’s mask on paper as if Joker himself were right in front of him.  
    “Whoa, that looks awesome!”  
    Yusuke shook his head. “It needs something. Something…”  
    “What about flames?” Ryuji suggested. “That’d be cool, right?”  
    “Hmm, yes, that is an intriguing idea.” Yusuke started a new sketch, drawing the mask again but adding flames licking along one side of it. Then he shook his head and started over—now the mask had flames coming out of one eye. He added a rough sketch of the top hat above the mask.  
    “How d’you do that!?” Ryuji said. “It took me like an hour to make my logo, and it didn’t look anythin’ like this!”  
    “Huh?” Yusuke seemed to have forgotten Ryuji was there. “Oh, do you like it?”  
    “Hell yeah, I like it! Underneath, it should say ‘Take your heart.’ And then we hafta decide what we’re gonna write on the back. I can cut letters out so there’s no chance of anybody recognizin’ our handwriting.”  
    Yusuke’s voice grew hard. “It should call out Madarame’s vanity of stealing the work of artists and claiming it as his own, gathering glory and attention on the backs of his students.”  
    “Yeah, that’s good,” Ryuji agreed. “We’re gonna make him confess for sure.”

* * *

  
    Madame had played them. All the planning that went into their heist, and they had stolen a fake—not the real treasure.   
    “Is this what you’re looking for?” Shadow Madame asked, gesturing at the painting held by one of his guards.  
    “What made you change like this!?” Yusuke demanded. “Is it because you became famous? Can’t you understand how much it pains me to inquire about the crimes of my foster father!”?  
    Madarame’s Shadow looked through Yusuke. “Now that I think back, the only reason why I took you in was due to my ties with your mother. That woman never lost her passion for painting… Her skills and talents were quite astonishing. That’s why I decided to ‘look after’ her.” Then the Shadow’s face twisted into a grimace. “Your mother and the artwork she created—they’re all _my_ works of art!”  
    “How low can you sink?” Ann said, disgusted.  
    Shadow Madarame had worked himself into a fervor. With a wild look in his eyes, he said, “I suppose I can grant you a gift before you die—a glimpse of the genuine ‘Sayuri’!”  
    “…Genuine?” whispered Yusuke.  
    The guard stepped forward and held up the canvas. It was the painting Yusuke had showed them, the one that inspired him to be an artist—only it was different. This version of the painting showed the woman holding an infant, gazing down at the child.  
    “That’s… the real Sayuri…?” Yusuke stumbled back a step. “This can’t be! …Mom!”  
    Ryuji stared. “Huh!?” _It’s his mom? Then that baby…_  
    Madarame seemed pleased with the reaction he had gotten out of his student. “Indeed it is. This was painted by your mother. It’s a portrait of herself. A woman who knew her death was coming painted her last wishes, for the son she would leave behind.”  
     _He stole something **that** precious!?_ Ryuji thought. He tried to imagine what it would be like to lose something so personal, how he would feel if it had been his own mom. He couldn’t begin to understand what Yusuke must be feeling.  
    The Shadow wasn’t finished. Triumphantly, he said, “This is the truth behind the mystery of Sayuri’s expression! I knew at first glance… I knew it’d be a huge success, if I added a touch to the painting and announced it under my name!”  
    “But the baby in the picture,” Yusuke asked, “Why did you paint over it?”  
    “It was all to stage it,” Madarame said proudly. “If the babe is erased, the reason for the woman’s expression will become a mystery. That is what the general public is drawn to! Each of those parasitic critics wrote the same thing.”  
    Ryuji’s brain had stuck on _‘If the babe is erased’_ —for some reason, it just made him angry. That baby was a real person, Yusuke, and Madarame had no problem just erasing him.  
    Ann, however, had made a different connection. “If you really treasured that painting,” she said coldly, “You wouldn’t even think about replicating it for profit. You don’t love art at all!”  
    Madarame seemed to have run out of patience. “So you’ll defy me no matter what… Well then, since you’re my work of art, Yusuke, I’m going to reap you for the sake of my future. Along with those insolent friends of yours there.”  
    Ryuji bounced on his heels, ready for battle. Akira fixed his gloves, while Ann took out her whip. _Hell yeah, time to teach this asshole a lesson,_ Ryuji thought.  
    Yusuke, however, hadn’t moved. “I’ve heard that you destroy your ‘art’ once they outlive their usefulness,” he said quietly. “Did that include my mother as well?”  
    Realization hit Ryuji like a punch to the gut. _No way… That can’t be…_  
    Madarame’s Shadow smiled, his voice pleasant as he said, “She just so happened to have a seizure in front of me. That’s when a thought crossed my mind… If I don’t call for help and leave her be, I could obtain her painting with no strings attached.”  
    Ryuji was stunned. They all were. Ann gasped, “You let her die!?”  
    “She was physically weak. No one would doubt if she just dropped dead because of a seizure.” Madarame turned to Yusuke. “Didn’t you think it was odd that I ‘discovered’ your talent when you were only three? The reason why I kept you around was to keep you from realizing the truth behind ‘Sayuri.’”  
    They all stared at Madarame. After a moment, Yusuke began to chuckle darkly. “I thank you, Madarame. Every reason for me to forgive you has disappeared without a trace at this very moment.” Pointing a finger at his former teacher, Yusuke snarled, “You killed her! You are a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist, and I will defeat you!”

* * *

  
    Just like they had taken down Kamoshida, the Phantom Thieves took down Madarame, too. After the battle, his Shadow whined and tried to make excuses.  
    Yusuke advanced on Madarame, grabbing him by the collar of his golden robe. “A fiend like you has no right to speak about the world of art. You’re done for, along with this abominous world.” He threw Madarame to the ground. “Return to yourself in reality. Confess your crimes—all of them!”  
  
    With the Palace coming down around them, they escaped to the real world. The treasure they had stolen was the true ‘Sayuri,’ the one that showed both mother and child. Yusuke stared at it for a long time.  
    Ryuji finally felt like he understood the strange art student. If he’d lost his mom, been raised by the man who killed her… he didn’t think he’d ever be able to get over it. Yet here Yusuke was, trying to find a way forward.  
    “The only saving grace is that my mother won’t know of what transpired,” Yusuke said thoughtfully.  
    “The genuine painting was altered,” Morgana said. “Ironic as it may be, this one is her true self-portrait.”  
    “It’s a wonderful painting,” agreed Ann. “And, although it took some time, it’s in your hands now, Yusuke.”  
    “I’m thankful for it,” he said.  
    After a night spent at LeBlanc, Yusuke returned to the dormitories at his school. ‘Sayuri’ remained behind, hanging on the wall in the coffeeshop. Somehow, it seemed at home there.


	12. The Student Council President

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, I've had a crazy week.
> 
> One note on the chat logs: "AT" = Ann Takamaki; "AK" = Akira Kurusu
> 
> UPDATE: I messed up the chapter order. This was supposed to be chapter 12, not 11. I uploaded the correct chapter 11.

12\. The Student Council President

  
    “Niijima-senpai is on to us,” Akira said.  
    Ryuji leaned his chair back. The group was hanging out on the roof after school—everyone except Yusuke, that is. “Who cares?” he responded. “S’not like she can prove we did anythin’.”  
    “I would be cautious,” Morgana said. “She seems awfully suspicious of you all.”  
    As if she had been summoned, Makoto Niijima chose that moment to come out onto the roof. She surveyed the three students with a knowing look. “This area is off-limits, you know,” she told them.  
    Ryuji let his chair fall back onto four legs with a crash that made Ann wince. “Sure,” he drawled. “And we’ll leave, soon as we’re done talkin’.”  
    “You three are an interesting combination,” she remarked. “The troublemaker, the girl of rumor, and the infamous transfer student…”  
    “Hey!” Ryuji snapped. He wasn’t even angry at being called the troublemaker—he’d been called far worse. But it irked him to hear Niijima talk about Ann and Akira that way. Akira’s face was typically stoic, but he could tell Ann was bothered, too.  
    “Great way to start a conversation,” Ann muttered.  
    Niijima ignored her and addressed Akira. “By the way—it seems as though you got to know Mr. Kamoshida pretty well.”  
     _Shit_ , Ryuji thought. _She is on to us._  
    “Not really,” Akira answered neutrally.  
    “Is that so? I heard Mr. Kamoshida used a volleyball team member to spread details of your criminal record.”  
    A muscle in Akira’s jaw twitched at that. Ryuji doubted Niijima could have seen it.  
    Niijima continued, “Don’t you hate him? Mr. Kamoshida, I mean?”  
    “What’s this about?” Ryuji interrupted. “Akira’s an upstanding guy.”  
    “I meant no offense,” she said, remaining maddeningly calm and polite. “Many students have been shaken up by the incident with Mr. Kamoshida. There are rumors about that strange calling card, as well. As the student council president, it’s my duty to attend to matters that affect the student body.”  
    “I didn’t know you cared, Niijima-senpai.” Ann’s form of address was perfectly formal, but her voice was cold.  
    “Anyways,” Ryuji added. “We done here? We can’t leave if you keep talkin’ to us.”  
    A crack finally appeared in Niijima’s calm demeanor. “At least try to understand my position,” she hissed. “Being forced to deal with all this _horseplay_.”  
    “Horseplay!?” Ann repeated.  
    Taking a quick breath, the student council president regained her composure. “Ah, by the way… it’s been decided that the roof will be closed off due to the incident with Suzui-san. The school wants to ensure the safety of all its students. I’m sure you understand.” With that, she turned and left.

* * *

  
>>R: We meetin’ up at the hideout after school?  
>>AT: Sounds good to me.  
>>Y: I will see you all there.  
>>R: Akira?  
>>R: You there, man?  
>>AK: Yeah, sorry  
>>AK: I’ll be a little late, there’s something I have to do first.  
  
    Akira pocketed his phone.  
    From inside his desk, Morgana said, “Why do you think the council president wants to see you, anyway?”  
    Akira shook his head slightly. He had no idea, but whatever the reason, it couldn’t be anything good.  
  
    The bell rang and Kawakami dismissed them for the day. Akira got his things together, set his book bag on his chair so Morgana could jump in, and headed upstairs to the student council room.  
    When he entered, he found Niijima leaning up against the table, waiting for him. “Ah, earlier than expected,” she said. “Have a seat.”  
    Keeping his expression neutral, he sat across the table from the other student.  
    She wasted no time. “I’ll get right to the point. Mr. Kamoshida. The artist Madarame. Won’t you tell me the truth behind the Phantom Thieves’ incidents?”  
    He heard Morgana shift suddenly in the bag beside him. Akira schooled his features to keep from showing any reaction.  
    “Can’t answer that?” Niijima smiled primly. “Ah, of course. There’s no way you would admit to such things.” Then she pulled out her phone. “Have a listen.”  
    The tinny voice coming out of the phone was unmistakably Ryuji’s. “If someone else could help ‘em, we wouldn’t be doin’ stuff as the Phantom Thieves to start with!”  
    Ann’s voice came next. “We’ll be okay if we keep doing this… right?”  
    Niijima’s gaze turned sharp. “… _What_ could all this mean?”  
    “We screwed up…” Morgana hissed.  
    “Was it blackmail?” asked Niijima. “Hypnosis? How do you corner someone into making them confess? Won’t you tell me how you did it?”  
     _Don’t react_ , Akira thought to himself. He shifted forward slightly. “Not sure what you mean.”  
    “You want to say that this doesn’t prove anything, don’t you? I believe that you, Takamaki, and Sakamoto are the Phantom Thieves. Now what would the police think if they heard my recording?”  
     _She got us_ , he thought.  
    “If you confess the truth, I don’t mind just leaving this between the two of us… You’ll tell me, won’t you?”  
    Akira remained silent.  
    She smiled. “That’s the same as admitting to it, you know.”  
    At that moment, his phone rang. Akira’s eyes met Niijima’s, and her smile widened. “Go ahead,” she said.  
    He pulled out his phone. Ryuji’s face was on the screen. With a quiet sigh, he took the call.  
    “Hey, where you at?” Akira could almost hear his friend’s smile. “What’s the holdup? We’re all waitin’ on you for our Phantom Thieves meetin’!”  
     _Oh, Ryuji._ Even with the stakes being so high, Akira couldn’t find it in himself to be angry.  
    Morgana, on the other hand, had a different reaction. “That idiot!”  
    “As loud as always,” Niijima said. “But his timing’s perfect. I’d like everyone else to hear this as well. Won’t you take me to your friends?”  
    “I guess it can’t be helped now…” Morgana muttered.  
    “Fine,” Akira told Niijima. “Let’s go.”

* * *

  
    Yusuke looked up. “Oh?”  
    Ryuji’s head whipped around. “Is he here?”  
    “Is that girl a friend of yours?” Yusuke asked in response.  
    Then Ryuji spotted Akira coming towards them, and with him… “Wh-what the hell!?” _Why’s he bringing the student council president to our hideout!?_  
    “What’s the meaning of this?” Ann demanded.  
    Niijima sounded pleased with herself as she said, “I had him lead me here.” She appraised the group. “Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, and… you’re Yusuke Kitagawa, aren’t you? Second-year at Kosei High and former pupil of Madarame? I wanted to ask you all about this.” She pulled out her phone and hit play on the recording.  
    Ryuji’s face flushed with embarrassment as he heard his own voice, giving them all away as the Phantom Thieves. _I fucked up… Shit, I ruined this for everyone._  
    Niijima had all the evidence, she just didn’t know the method. And how could she? Nobody could imagine something like the Metaverse if they hadn’t seen it for themselves.  
    Yusuke asked the question they were all thinking. “What do you intend to do? Have you come just to say you’re going to report us?”  
    “I bet the school put you up to it,” Ann said in disgust. “They can’t have ties to criminals, after all. And yet they turn a blind eye when it comes to suicide and sexual harassment. Those adults are just using you.”  
    The student council president looked away. Surprisingly, her voice was sad when she responded. “I… I know. I know the school just wants to preserve its reputation.” She looked at Ann. “But whether you believe it or not, I do actually care about our students. That’s why I’ve come to you all.”  
    “Huh?” Ann said.  
    “There is someone taking advantage of teenagers, including students from Shujin. I want you to change his heart.”  
    Ryuji thought he must have misheard. “What?”  
    “Can you do it?” Niijima asked.  
    “Hang on,” Ann said. “Who is this, and how do you know they’re targeting students?”  
    “No one knows his name, but he’s a Mafia boss. You probably know there has been a rise in phishing scams lately. Once you’re in their sights, they won’t stop threatening you until they get what they want. They’ll force you to take part in their scams, threaten your family, and ultimately destroy your life.”  
    “Holy shit,” Ryuji whispered. This was a way bigger deal than an abusive teacher or a corrupt artist.  
    “They primarily target juveniles. I’ve received reports about Shujin students who are in trouble. So… will you change their leader’s heart?”  
    Ryuji looked at Ann, whose expression was already determined. Yusuke looked thoughtful. And Akira? His gaze was on Niijima, appraising her.  
    “You have two weeks,” Niijima said without waiting for their answer. “If you can change his heart by then, I’ll delete this recording.”


	13. TV Stars and Dive Bars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning for this chapter - internalized homophobia

13\. TV Stars and Dive Bars

  
    “This is soooo boring,” Ryuji groaned under his breath.  
    “I agree,” said Ann tiredly. “I thought a field trip to a TV studio would be way more interesting than this.”  
    “Please, stay together, everyone,” their tour guide chirped. “Next up is the editing room, where the _film_ is _edited_. Now, listen closely as I explain the editing process.”  
    Ryuji hung his head. “Ughhh, I just wanna go home…”  
  
    After the tour, they did get to sit in as the audience for a live taping, which Ryuji thought was pretty cool. The TV hosts were interviewing the “high school detective” Goro Akechi. Judging by the squeals of the girls in the front row, he was some kind of celebrity.  
    Ryuji didn’t really care about the kid detective, but when he heard the words “Phantom Thieves,” he got interested.   
    “Allow me to be blunt for a moment,” the host was saying to Akechi. “What do you think of these justice-oriented Phantom Thieves?”  
    Akechi smiled and said, “If they truly are heroes of justice, I sincerely hope they exist.”  
    “Hell yeah they exist!” Ryuji whispered. Akira elbowed him in the ribs.  
    “But, hypothetically speaking,” continued Akechi, “If these Phantom Thieves are real… I believe they should be tried in a court of law.”  
    “What!?” Ryuji said, earning another elbow to the ribs.  
    “That’s quite the statement,” said the host. “Are they committing crimes? Some people even say that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways.”  
     _Damn straight,_ Ryuji thought.  
    Akechi’s expression grew harsh. “What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime. However, the Phantom Thieves are taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from justice. And if they are forcibly changing people’s hearts…” The pleasant half-smile returned to his face. “Of course, this is all purely hypothetical. We do not know that people who can use such a power truly exist. Either way though, this cannot be ignored. To be honest, I’m already working alongside the police to help sort out this matter.”  
    Ryuji glared at the sharply-dressed high school student as the host wrapped up the segment. _Who does he think he is, judging us. We’re helping people when no one else will._  
  
    When the taping _finally_ ended, he, Ann, and Akira were all relieved.   
    As they headed toward the exit, Ann seemed thoughtful. “You know, it kinda seemed like what he was saying might be right.”  
    Ryuji looked back over his shoulder, glaring at the set where Akechi had been a few minutes earlier. “He made it sound like _we’re_ the baddies. I don’t like it.”  
    “But that stuff about the police,” Ann insisted. “Do you think it’s for real?”  
    Morgana’s head poked out of Akira’s bag. “He can say whatever he wants. The justice of it all is something we get to decide for ourselves.”  
    Ryuji agreed with Morgana, for once. Just as they were about to leave, he suddenly realized: “Oh, sorry, I gotta go take a leak. Can you guys wait here? I’ll be right back.” He jogged off in the direction of the restroom.  
    When he returned a few minutes later, Ann had left, and Akira was talking to— _Akechi!? What the hell!?_  
    Akechi walked away, just as Ryuji rushed over to his friend. “What was that about? Did he say anything to you?”  
    “He said he wanted to talk about the Phantom Thieves. Don’t worry,” Akira reassured him. “I didn’t give anything away.”  
    “Well… good. He better not try’n mess with us.”

* * *

  
    With the school field trip behind them, they could focus on their mission and meeting Niijima’s deadline.  
    The first big challenge was figuring out the target’s name. All they had to go on from Niijima was that the group was targeting high schoolers in Shibuya. A little snooping around Shujin led them to one victim, who said he’d been asked to hand off a small package. He’d done it for the easy money, but now he was being blackmailed. It really looked like this was a serious problem, and Ryuji was convinced the Phantom Thieves needed to take this mob boss down.  
    It was Akira’s idea to approach the journalist who’d been looking into Madarame. Surprisingly, she agreed to meet them—at a bar in Shinjuku.  
    Ryuji knew the reputation Shinjuku had. He wasn’t about to let Akira go to some sketchy bar by himself. So one evening, the two students met up at the Shinjuku station.  
    He already felt nervous, seeing all the clubs with their promoters outside. Most people seemed to make them as high schoolers right away—the fact that he was still in his Shujin uniform was probably a big clue.  
    “Crossroads Bar. This is the place,” Akira said.  
    “All right, let’s go meet this reporter.”  
    “Hang on.” Akira shook his head. “I don’t think you should go in.”  
    “What? Why!?”  
    “It’s too obvious you’re still in high school,” Morgana chimed in. “You’re not allowed to be in places like this, remember?”  
    Ryuji scowled. He was angry at himself for not thinking to change into regular clothes. And he was worried about leaving his friend alone in an unfamiliar place. “Ugh, fine. Just be careful. I’ll wait out here.”  
    With a nod, Akira went in to the bar.  
  
    Ryuji tried to lean up against the wall inconspicuously, but he was too antsy. He started wandering up and down the street, watching all the people walk past—drunks tripping over their own feet, promoters encouraging people into their clubs, couples walking hand-in-hand or making out in the side alleys.  
    Raucous laughter drew his attention to one club. Two men were standing outside, laughing hard at something one of them had said. They were wearing tight shorts, and one of them had his shirt open all the way down to his navel. He swayed into the other man’s space, putting a hand on his chest.  
    Ryuji swallowed and looked away. He wasn’t even sure why he was so uncomfortable. There was something in him that felt disgusted. Why were they flaunting it like that? Didn’t they know people didn’t want to see that kind of thing?  
    He jumped when Akira tapped him on the shoulder. “We’re done,” his friend said. “I got a name.”  
    “For real!? Nice!” The two of them starting walking towards the station, which brought them closer to the two men outside the gay club.  
    “Oooh, look at that little morsel!” One of the men called out, waving at him.  
    “You want to party with us?” The other asked.  
    Ryuji flushed. Akira chuckled at his embarrassment. “C’mon, let’s just go,” Ryuji muttered.  
    “Where are you going, boys? We’d love to dance with you!”  
    Akira laughed again, apparently totally at ease. Ryuji felt a spike of frustration, and something ugly swirling in his gut. “Let’s get out of here,” he told his friend again.  
    Akira gave him a quizzical look. “Why are you so stressed out? They’re just joking around.”  
    “Because!” Ryuji snapped, hardly knowing what he was saying. “They’re—they’re being gross! Nobody wants to see _homos_ like them!” All at once, his mind dredged up a memory, long forgotten.   
  _He was walking back from the store with his dad, carrying the bag of groceries because his dad’s hands were full with a 24-pack of beer. They passed two young men holding hands, their heads close together in an intimate moment. His father scoffed, muttering, “Fuckin’ homos. Disgusting.” Ryuji quickly averted his eyes, feeling unexpectedly ashamed._  
    Coming back to the present, Ryuji realized Akira had stopped dead in the middle of the street, staring at him. Immediately, he regretted what he had said. “Akira, I didn’t mean—”  
    “Whatever,” Akira said, his voice razor-sharp. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”


	14. The Perfect Student Snaps

14\. The Perfect Student Snaps

  
    Akira hadn’t said anything to Ryuji about what had happened in Shinjuku, and Ryuji was too chicken to bring it up. They were both pretending nothing was wrong and focusing all their attention on the Phantom Thieves.  
    They knew who they were targeting: Junya Kaneshiro. They had even figured out the keywords for his Palace, too: he thought of all of Shibuya as his bank. But when they entered the Metaverse, they discovered the bank was floating high above the city, with no way for them to get up to it.  
    The Phantom Thieves gathered in the walkway in Shibuya for a strategy meeting. It seemed like their only shot was to find Kaneshiro in real life. Ryuji was pretty sure mob bosses didn’t take meetings with random high schoolers, though.  
    As they were trying to come up with some solution, Niijima walked up. Ryuji thought, _Oh great, Miss Council President come to check up on us_.  
    “You seem to be having some trouble,” she remarked.  
    It seemed like Ann was as happy to see Niijima as Ryuji was. “You may be the student council president, but when it comes to what we do, you’re useless.”  
    “Useless?” Niijima repeated.  
    “Just stay on your high horse and watch,” Ann told her.  
    The older student seemed thrown off-balance for a moment. She regained her composure quickly and said, “So—you wish to get in contact with Kaneshiro. That’s what you were just discussing, was it not?”  
    “Something like that,” Akira told her.  
    “You don’t gotta answer her honestly!” Ryuji exclaimed.  
    A pained expression crossed Niijima’s face. “Fine. I will help you find Kaneshiro.” Before any of them could react, she rushed off.  
    “What exactly is she planning to do?” Yusuke asked.  
    “I don’t know,” said Morgana. “But it can’t be good. We need to find her before she gets herself in real trouble.”  
    Ann spoke up. “Let’s split up—we’ll cover more ground that way. Yusuke, why don’t you go with me, and Akira and Ryuji can be the other team?”  
    There was a moment of hesitation, almost unnoticeable, before Akira nodded in agreement. “Text if you find her,” he told the others.  
  
    Ryuji knew they were supposed to be looking for the student council president, but he couldn’t focus on that with the huge cloud hanging over him and Akira ever since they’d gone to Shinjuku. He’d screwed up, but he didn’t know how to make it right. And Akira wouldn’t even meet his eyes.  
    He grabbed his friend’s arm. “Akira, wait.” Akira gave him an appraising look, but said nothing.  
    Ryuji scrubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Listen, I’m sorry, okay? About what I said. I wasn’t—I didn’t mean to upset you.”  
    Still silent, Akira stared at him. Ryuji hated it when he went uncommunicative like that.  
    “Those guys—I was just uncomfortable. But I wasn’t talking about you, I don’t think you’re… like that.”  
    Akira sighed and looked away. Somehow, Ryuji had managed to screw up his apology, too. But his friend wasn’t walking away, so maybe he still had a chance, if he could just figure out what he was supposed to say…  
    He thought again of that memory of him and his dad. “When I was a kid,” he said quietly, “My dad would say shit like that. I guess… maybe what he said got stuck in my head, y’know? And part of me knew I liked guys even then, so it was like he was talkin’ about me, too, and it was this terrible thing I had to hide.” He shook his head, realizing he was rambling. “Shit, I’m tryin’ to apologize and I’m effing it all up.” He looked up and Akira met his eyes again. “I’m really sorry,” he finished.  
    Akira let out another sigh, but this time he didn’t look away. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft. “Let’s go find Niijima-senpai.”  
    Maybe that was the closest he could get to ‘I forgive you.’ It was something, at least.  
  
    A few minutes later, as they were scouring Shibuya station for Niijima, Akira’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, frowned briefly, and answered the call. He put it on speaker phone.  
    “This is Makoto,” she said quietly. “Just stay on the line and listen.” Then, louder: “I want a meeting with your boss.”  
    A man responded. “We don’t have time for kids. Run along home.”  
    Niijima’s voice was clear and firm as she persisted, “You work for Junya Kaneshiro, don’t you? I heard I could find him if I came to Central Street.”  
     _Central Street._ Ryuji pulled out his phone and started texting Ann and Yusuke.  
    There was some indistinct muttering, and then a different man spoke. “Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?”  
    “I am the student council president of Shujin Academy, and you will take me to meet with Kaneshiro.”  
    A sharp, unfriendly laugh came through the phone. “You got a death wish or somethin’?”  
    “What is she doing!?” Ryuji whispered.  
    Akira shook his head. “We have to find her.”  
    There was a few minutes of silence, though Niijima hadn’t ended the call. Eventually, they heard her say, “Where are you taking me?”  
    “He said he’ll meet with you,” one of the men answered. “Get in the car.” A car door closed, cutting off the background noise of Shibuya.  
    They had to find this car. As Akira continued to listen to the call, Ann and Yusuke arrived. Ryuji quickly filled them in.  
    On the phone, Niijima was saying, “You’d better me taking me to Kaneshiro.”  
    “Shut the fuck up,” came the response. “You want to meet Kaneshiro? We’re taking you to him.”  
  
    Ryuji was the one who spotted the car as it pulled away. “That’s them! I saw Niijima in the back seat!”  
    Yusuke tracked the car as it pulled away, muttering the license plate to himself. Ryuji looked around. _A cab, we need a cab._ The first driver he tried to flag down didn’t even look at him. When he saw another taxi coming, he didn’t stop to think. He jumped in front of it, hands outstretched to force it to stop.  
    “Ryuji, what are you doing!?” Ann yelled over the sound of screeching brakes.  
    “Hurry up and get in! We hafta follow that car!”  
    The group all piled into the taxi, Akira in the front seat, telling the driver to follow the mobsters’ car.

* * *

  
    They were all in it, now. Kaneshiro had blackmail on them that would ruin Niijima’s perfect record, get them expelled, wreck Akira’s probation, maybe even take down all of their families. And Kaneshiro had demanded they pay three million yen, an impossible task. Makoto explained that it was a way to trap them—they would be forced to take out a loan, and the interest would keep them in debt to Kaneshiro permanently.  
    In short, they were all screwed if they didn’t pay up. Of course, there was one other option: they could take down Kaneshiro’s Palace and force him to have a change of heart. They had three weeks to pull it off.  
    At least there was a silver lining to getting blackmailed: because Makoto was now a ‘customer’ of Kaneshiro’s bank, the Palace opened right up for her and the Phantom Thieves. And, all things considered, Makoto was dealing with the Metaverse thing pretty well.  
    Within the bank, Shadow Kaneshiro was as much of a douchebag as in real life. He gave them the same terrible offer: take out an exorbitant loan to pay back the three million yen.  
    “Of course,” he said with a sleazy smile, “I have a more manageable option for people like you, Miss Beautiful Council President. Or should I say, the younger sister of the beautiful prosecutor Sae Nijiima?”  
    It took Ryuji a minute to realize what Kaneshiro was doing. Having dirt on high schoolers probably wasn’t worth that much. But having dirt on a big-shot prosecutor…?  
    “Just you wait,” Ryuji said. “We’re gonna steal your Treasure for sure!”  
    “I’d like to see you try,” Kaneshiro said. “Guards, get them.”  
  
    Kaneshiro’s goons had forced them back to the entrance of the bank, but now the Thieves were surrounded with no way out.  
    “Please, stop this!” Makoto begged.  
    “Oh, you have no need to worry. I don’t kill off valuable goods,” replied Kaneshiro. “You sister is quite a beauty, though. I’ll make sure to make her my personal slave.”  
    Kaneshiro had crossed a line. He had threatened them with blackmail and tried to extort them. He had promised to ruin all of their lives. But when he threatened Makoto’s sister, the look in the council president’s eyes was deadly. Ryuji was glad she wasn’t directing her fury at him.  
    Makoto strode up to Kaneshiro, her fists shaking with anger. “I’ve been listening to you go on and on,” she snarled. “Shut your mouth, you money-grubbing asshole!”  
    Ryuji didn’t see how they were going to get out of this. Makoto’s aikido wasn’t exactly going to help against the Shadow-guards. But when Makoto stomped her foot and broke the marble floor, he realized that she might have more than just aikido on her side.  
    Each of their Personas took a different form. Makoto’s was something else entirely.  
    “Is that a Persona?” Yusuke asked.  
    “No, dude,” Ryuji replied. “That’s a _bike_!”  
    “I can feel it… My ‘self.’ Me!” Makoto exclaimed. “I will not lose heart again, ever. I will go full speed, non-stop. Right, Johanna?”  
    And thus, the Phantom Thieves became six.


	15. Unlocking the Vault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic lives! Sorry about the incredibly long hiatus. I'm back and eager to keep writing. Thanks for your patience, and I hope you enjoy!

15\. Unlocking the Vault

  
    Makoto might have awakened to her Persona, but she was definitely still Nijiima-senpai, perfect student. Ryuji was already tired of her judgmental attitude.  
    “You don’t have a strategy!?” Makoto—or rather, Queen—exclaimed. “Wait. The Phantom Thieves were acting without any plans!?”  
    Ryuji rolled his eyes. _We were doin’ just fine without any fancy strategy._  
    Makoto was ready to take charge. “Very well then,” she said primly. “It seems my role is to be the brain of this team. I’ll analyze Mona’s information and give out orders. Any objections?”  
    Ryuji scowled. _What happened to Akira being the leader?_ As if she could read his mind, Makoto shot Ryuji a look that dared him to argue. “Any objections, _Skull?_ ”  
    “None, Queen!” Ryuji stammered.  
    Ann sighed. “I bet Skull’s definitely the type that’ll be under a girl’s thumb.”  
    Ryuji flushed and, despite his better judgment, glanced at Joker. Akira was predictably unfazed. Well, Ann was half-right, anyway.  
  
    Still, Ryuji had to admit that Makoto’s tactical intuition was an asset as they worked their way deeper into the Palace. The closer they got to the vault on the lowest floor, the more security they encountered. With Makoto’s help, Akira navigated locked doors, security cameras, Shadows, and coded passwords.  
    She even figured out that the huge room full of locked boxes was itself a giant lock. By rotating the rings, they were able to access the elevator that led down to the final vault. Sure enough, on the lowest level, they found the treasure.

* * *

     With the infiltration route secure, it was time to send the calling card. The problem was, the Phantom Thieves didn’t know how to get Kaneshiro’s attention in the real world.  
    “The question is, how do we deliver the calling card to him?” Yusuke asked.  
    Ann shook her head. “Yeah, we don’t even know where he lives…”  
    “There’s so goddamn much I wanna write on the calling card, too,” Ryuji muttered.  
    Makoto seemed surprised. “Why not just use the same method as before?”  
    “What do you mean?” Yusuke replied.  
    “I have an idea,” the older student said decisively. “Ryuji, come with me.”  
    Ryuji’s head shot up. “Uhh… what?”  
    Shaking her head impatiently, Makoto said, “I’ll need your help to deliver the calling card.”  
    Ryuji looked at Akira with silent desperation. Makoto scared the crap out of him.  
    “He’ll be fine,” Makoto said to Akira, ignoring Ryuji. “There’s nothing you need to worry about.”  
    Akira nodded to Makoto. To Ryuji, he said, “We’ll leave it to you.”  
  
    Ryuji and Makoto went back to Shujin to put together the calling card. Once they were satisfied with it, Makoto went to the teacher’s lounge and ran off several hundred copies.  
    “So, what’s the plan, exactly?” Ryuji asked as they left the school again. It was getting dark out. “How are we gonna make sure Kaneshiro sees this?”  
    Makoto smiled grimly. “That’s where you come in. I need you to post this everywhere in Shibuya. In the train station, on the shop windows, in the back alleys. The more places it shows up, the more people are going to be talking about it. It’ll get back to Kaneshiro, without a doubt.”  
    Ryuji let out a low whistle. It was a really good plan. Still… “Why’s it gotta be me?”  
    “Because I have homework I have to finish tonight. People will notice if my grades slip. You, on the other hand, won’t draw any attention if you stay out late and come to school unprepared.”  
    Ryuji hung his head. “You don’t gotta be so blunt.”  
    “I’m not incorrect, am I?” Without waiting for a response, she continued, “And when you put up the calling cards, make sure you’re wearing something that won’t draw attention, all right?”  
    “All right, all right, I got it.”  
    “Tomorrow, we teach that monster Kaneshiro a lesson.”  
    Ryuji’s face broke into a wicked grin. “Hell yeah!”

* * *

 

    Once again, the Phantom Thieves had stolen their target’s heart. Victory felt good, even if they were troubled by what Kaneshiro’s Shadow had said. Someone was using Palaces to commit crimes, with no regard for the consequences. Ryuji for one wasn’t going to let it damper his enthusiasm.  
    “Whaddya wanna do about our next target!?” he asked the others. “We can’t pick just any old schmo now.”  
    “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” cautioned Ann.  
    Yusuke agreed. “There is no need to hurry. We should just lay low and wait for all this excitement to blow over.”  
    “In that case,” Ann suggested, “How about we have another celebration?”  
    “Good idea! We totally gotta do somethin’ to celebrate. We beat Kaneshiro, and Makoto joined the team. Party time!”  
    Catching Ryuji’s enthusiasm, Ann exclaimed, “Ooh, what about fireworks!?”  
    “It is that time of year,” Makoto agreed.  
    “All right!” Ryuji said. “Fireworks festival it is.”  
    Yusuke hummed. “Are we going to wear yukata?”  
    “That would be fun,” said Ann.  
    Ryuji sighed. “Dude, I ain’t got any fancy clothes like that.” He looked at Akira. “Do you?”  
    Akira shook his head.  
    “See?” Ryuji said. “We’ll just go in normal clothes, it’ll be fine.”  
  
    Later, as Ryuji was getting ready for bed, he heard his phone buzz. It was a notification from the group chat.

  
>>Y: I have found an extra yukata one of you could borrow. Unfortunately, I have only found one.  
>>AT: Cool! I dug out my yukata, too. This will be fun!  
>>Y: Ryuji, would you like to wear a yukata?  
>>R: No way!  
>>R: I’m just gonna wear regular clothes.  
>>Y: Very well. Akira, I will loan you the extra yukata.  
>>AK: Okay, sure.  
  
    They were all meeting up in Shibuya station to see the fireworks show. Ann and Makoto had gone into the girl’s bathroom to change. Yusuke had ridden the train in his yukata, of course, with the extra in his bag. Akira accepted the borrowed garment and went to change himself.  
    Ryuji couldn’t help but stare when Ann and Makoto came out dressed in their brightly-colored yukata. It was strange seeing them in such traditional clothing.  
    “My eyes are up _here_ , Ryuji,” Ann snapped.  
    “Uhh, sorry,” he stammered. “It’s… uh, talk about Japanese beauty! You two look—” Ryuji wasn’t able to finish his sentence. At that moment, Akira came out from the men’s bathroom in the yukata Yusuke had loaned him. It was charcoal gray with crimson-red accents, and it fit perfectly around Akira’s waist, and Ryuji’s brain felt like it was melting.  
     _Stop staring stop staring stop staring…!_ In spite of his best efforts, he couldn’t drag his eyes away from his friend. Fortunately, the rest of the group seemed impressed by Akira’s wardrobe change as well.  
    “Excellent,” remarked Yusuke. “As I expected, those colors suit you quite nicely.”  
    “Akira, you look great!” Ann said. “Who knew the traditional clothes would work so well for you!”  
    Akira gave a small, almost shy, smile. Then he looked at Ryuji, who still hadn’t stopped staring. Not for the first time, Ryuji was struck by the feeling that Akira could see straight through him. Ryuji’s heart was pounding in his chest. Akira’s smile widened into a smirk, but his tone was even as he said, “Sorry you’re the only one with no yukata, Ryuji.”  
    Ryuji swallowed, then he coughed, then he rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, yeah. That. No problem. I don’t like wearin’ fancy clothes, anyway.”  
    “We should get going,” Makoto remarked. “It’s going to get crowded.”  
  
    The fireworks were fun—while they lasted. Unfortunately, the humid summer weather abruptly gave way to torrential rain, putting an end to the fireworks show and leaving the crowds disappointed and rushing for shelter.  
    The Phantom Thieves ended up waiting out the rain under an awning. They were all soaked to the bone. To Ryuji’s right, Ann was trying to squeeze rainwater out of her yukata. Catching a glimpse of her pale thigh, Ryuji abruptly turned his gaze to his other side, where Akira was standing. Once again, he was struck by how good his friend looked in the traditional clothes. Even in a borrowed outfit, even soaked from the rain, even under the harsh fluorescent lights, Akira looked… incredible.  
     _Oh no,_ Ryuji thought, as realization settled in his gut like a heavy weight. He’d had a crush on Akira since day one—drawn in first by those intense gray eyes and elegant hands, then by Akira’s compassion and conviction. But now, as he watched his best friend try to shake water out of a borrowed yukata, with his rain-drenched hair glued to his forehead, Ryuji suddenly realized that this was much, much more than a crush. It had happened so gradually he hadn’t even noticed, and now he was too far gone to have any hope of changing course. _Shit. I’m in love with him._  
  
  



	16. The Track Team

16\. The Track Team

    After his last encounter with the former track team, Ryuji decided he needed to find a different place to train. He settled on a cheap gym near Shibuya station called Protein Lovers, and that was where he dragged Akira one day after school.  
    “It’s pay per visit,” he explained. “The equipment’s kinda crappy, but they got tons of variety. Plus, it’s real damn cheap! By the way, did you bring your stuff?”  
    “A towel?”  
    “No, man, I’m talkin’ about spare undies!” _Did I seriously just say ‘undies’? What the hell is wrong with me!? Okay, damage control._ “Uh, I just meant, gettin’ back into your sweaty clothes after a nice hot shower is like, the grossest goddamn thing.”   
    Akira gave Ryuji a strange look, but Ryuji ignored it. “Anyway, let’s head in.”  
  
    The workout left Ryuji winded. “My form’s… comin’ back…” he wheezed, “But I don’t got… any stamina.”  
    Just then, someone said, “Sakamoto?”  
    Ryuji looked up in surprise, and saw Ikeda, who had graduated the year before, walking over. “Ikeda-senpai!”  
    “You don’t need to call me senpai anymore. I’ve already graduated, remember?” He looked at Akira. “Hm? I haven’t seen you before… were you on the track team?”  
    Before Akira could respond, Ryuji said, “Akira? He’s, uh… He’s a friend! He transferred to Shujin. By the time he showed up the track team was already… well, y’know.”  
    Ikeda nodded. “Speaking of which, how’s your leg?”  
    “Eh, I’m managin’,” Ryuji replied. “How ‘bout you, senpai? You still runnin’?”  
    “I actually joined my university’s track team. You’d think I would’ve quit entirely after what happened…”  
    Ryuji remembered what Nakaoka and the others had said, about how he had wrecked the whole track team. “About that, I’m real sorry,” he told Ikeda.   
    “No, I should be the one apologizing.”   
    “Huh?”  
    “I was supposed to be the leader of our team,” Ikeda said seriously. “Yet I just resigned myself to Kamoshida’s will…”  
    “That’s ‘cause you needed him to write your letter of rec, right? You were just lookin’ out for your future… but I still managed to eff it up anyways.”  
    Ikeda shook his head. “Kamoshida clearly never intended on writing my letter of recommendation. You were just his excuse not to. It wasn’t your fault.” Ryuji just stared at him, unable to think of anything to say. Ikeda continued, “I’ve always regretted not doing more to protect you guys. But I heard some good news recently—the Shujin track team’s being reinstated!”  
    This was news to Ryuji. “For real!? Nobody told me about that.”  
    “Huh, odd,” Ikeda said. “The rumors got as far as me, and I’m not even a student anymore. I guess their new advisor is Mr. Yamauchi.”  
    Ryuji’s eyebrows shot up. “Yamauchi?”  
    “Yup, the one who was basically Kamoshida’s lapdog. I guess he’s really enthusiastic about pulling the track team up from the ashes.” Ikeda shrugged. “Anyway, now that the team’s being reinstated, there’s no need for bad blood. You should go talk to them. I’m sure they could use someone with your passion.”  
    “… Yeah,” Ryuji muttered.  
    Ikeda said his goodbyes and headed out. Ryuji turned back to Akira. “So the track team’s comin’ back, huh? Good for them.”  
    “You seem conflicted,” Akira observed.  
    He shook his head. “Nah, not really. For real though, I’m glad the team’s comin’ back. It’s sweet that Nakaoka and them can start trainin’ again.” He paused. “But I’m worried ‘bout their advisor, Yamauchi. He’s basically like a mini-Kamoshida.”  
    “So he’s an asshole?”  
    Ryuji chuckled. “Basically. Ugh, I can’t believe a moron like that’s gonna be advisin’ the track team. He doesn’t even teach PE! He’s gotta be up to something.” The more Ryuji thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. “I’m gonna see what I can find out. There’s a chance I’m gonna need your help too, mkay? I’ll be counting on you!”  
    “Whatever you need,” his friend promised.  
    “Thanks, man.”

* * *

  
    A few weeks after encountering Ikeda at the gym, Ryuji and Akira were walking in the courtyard at school. Classes were over for the day, and they were debating what to do with their afternoon when Ryuji heard something.  
    The two rushed around the corner to the area behind the gym. “…Nakaoka?” Ryuji said in confusion. “Takeishi? The hell you guys doin’…?”  
    It appeared that Takeishi and a few of the other runners were beating the hell out of Nakaoka. Takeishi turned to Ryuji. “We just have a few questions for Nakaoka here. It’s none of your business.”  
    A small part of Ryuji told him to just walk away. A bigger part asked, “So what, you gonna ask him questions with your fists? And anyways, ain’t a three-on-one kinda cowardly?”  
    “The only coward here is Nakaoka!” Takeishi shot back. “All the shit Kamoshida put us through is his fault. He was telling that bastard secrets about us the whole time!”  
    “Huh? That’s a load of bull!” _Nakaoka wouldn’t have done that… would he?_ Ryuji suddenly remembered what Kamoshida had said about Mishima, back before his change of heart. ‘ _You leaked Kurusu’s criminal records, didn’t you?’_ If Kamoshida had manipulated Mishima that way, couldn’t he have done the same to Nakaoka?  
    “You guys should trust Nakaoka,” Akira said.  
    In just a few words, Akira had managed once again to make everything seem clear to Ryuji. “That’s right! You’ve been trainin’ together for freakin’ forever! Plus, ain’t the track team comin’ back? You don’t gotta fight!”  
    Takeishi seemed suddenly unsure. “…Sh-Shut up! I’m telling you, this piece of shit sold us out! How do you think Kamoshida found out about your parents, Sakamoto?”  
    Ryuji felt his stomach drop. For a second, the present faded and he was back on that fateful day, seeing Kamoshida’s sneering grin, hearing the blood rushing in his ears, feeling his fist connect with the teacher’s jaw.  
    “He’s gotta be a snitch!” agreed one of the other runners.  
    “H-Hold up!” Ryuji took a deep breath. He stepped between Takeishi and Nakaoka.  
    “Out of the way, Sakamoto,” Takeishi ordered. “We’ll beat the shit outta you too if we need to.”  
    “If you think that’s gonna make you feel better, go for it,” he replied. “But you’re gonna wish you didn’t. Trust me, it feels real bad lookin’ back on shitty stuff you’ve done.”  
    The other teens just stared at him. Ryuji sighed. “Look… Even if Nakaoka was workin’ with Kamoshida, ain’t it fine now? The bastard’s gone, so you guys can just put this crap behind you. There’s no reason to fight, yeah?”  
    Takeishi was insistent. “We can’t keep people around who’re gonna try and undermine our team.”  
    “But I didn’t do anything!” Nakaoka interjected. “I wasn’t working with Kamoshida. No matter how much you hit me, my answer’s gonna stay the same.”  
    “Oh yeah? We’ve got proof,” Takeishi shot back. “Yamauchi told us all about it.”  
    “…Yamauchi?” Ryuji repeated. That was suspicious as hell.  
    “C’mon, Takeishi,” one of the other track members said, “We gotta get out of here.”  
    Takeishi nodded. He looked at Nakaoka. “Nakaoka, shit like you isn’t welcome on our new track team. You’d better remember that.” With that, he and the other runners left.  
    When they were gone, Ryuji turned to Nakaoka. “…You OK? What the hell was all that, anyway?”  
    “Just stay out of this, Sakamoto. It has nothing to do with you.”  
    Ryuji flinched. “But—”  
    Nakaoka cut him off. “When you hit Kamoshida, you were really hitting all of us who tried so hard to endure his bullshit. You might’ve felt relieved, but it only made life harder for us…” His tone turned more somber. “‘Cause of you, we lost the one place we could vent our frustrations, the one place we could really belong. Tensions got pretty high after that… and things’ve just been kinda rough from then on.” Glaring at Ryuji, he snapped, “You really think it’s all fine now, huh? Well what if I told you they’re right about me…? Would you still think it’s ‘fine’ if I was the one who told Kamoshida about your parents?”  
    Ryuji stared at Nakaoka for a long moment. _If he’s really the one who told Kamoshida… am I okay with that?_ “…Yeah. If you told him, you told him. I’m over all that stuff with my parents anyways. Besides, I’ve realized something. I might’ve messed up with Kamoshida back then, but hangin’ onto the past ain’t gonna help anythin’. I’m just gonna focus on bein’ myself now. On bein’ free.” It felt good to say it.  
    “What’re you talking about…?” Nakaoka responded. “Free, huh?” He shook his head and laughed as he walked away.  
    Self-conscious, Ryuji looked at Akira. “You get what I’m tryin’ to say, yeah?”  
    Akira offered a small smile as he pushed up his glasses. “Absolutely.”  
    Ryuji grinned. “Right? He’s the one who wasn’t makin’ any sense. I guess bein’ free is like… It’s like how I feel when I’m talkin’ to you, man.” Ryuji felt himself blush, but for once he didn’t mind. It was the truth.   
    “I know what you mean,” Akira told him. “You can be yourself. You don’t have to pretend.”  
    “Exactly! I knew you’d get it… Now c’mon, let’s go get food, I’m sick of bein’ at school.” 


	17. Medjed

17\. Medjed

 

    "These are the details of the message posted on Medjed's website... "  
    Ryuji watched the news report with growing concern. He grimaced when “Detective” Akechi appeared on the screen.  
    “Both Medjed and the Phantom Thieves are nothing more than groups that uphold an egoistic justice,” Akechi asserted.  
    “Egoistic justice!? What the hell!” Ryuji pulled out his phone.  
  
>>R: We gotta talk about Medjed.  
>>AT: You mean those guys people online are going nuts over?  
>>Y: Medjed…  
>> Y: That name seems to come from one of the obscure gods from the Egyptian Book of the Dead.  
>>M: I saw the news too.  
>>M: For some reason they think we speak of false justice…  
>>Y: Now then, what exactly did you want to speak of regarding Medjed?  
>>R: Wellllll, why don’t we go after them as our next target?  
>>Y: What a sudden suggestion.  
>>R: I mean they’re like, bad hackers or something, right?  
>>M: Technically, they’re crackers.  
>>M: Those who use the internet to illegally access and alter data.  
>>M: Medjed is an organized group of such people recognized by the larger international community.  
>>Y: So they operate on a global scale?  
>>AT: That makes them even bigger than Kaneshiro!  
>>R: Right!?  
>>R: Then it’s settled. Our next target’s gonna be Medjed.  
>>R: I wonder if the Nav’ll get a hit if we put Medjed in.  
>>AT: Oh, right!  
>>AK: Let’s try it out.  
>>M: That would be impossible. It has to be a pseudonym. We don’t even know how many people Medjed is, or their location.  
>>M: The only confirmed presence of Medjed has been online.  
>>Y: This is a greater problem than simply finding their keywords.  
>>Y: Unless you have any more ideas, Ryuji?  
>>AT: Hellooo?  
>>R: C’mon, we can’t back down now! People are all excited about it!  
>>R: Our reputation’s gonna plummet if we don’t face this shit.  
>>Y: That is true. If we remain silent, people would believe we simply chose to run away from the matter.  
>>M: Medjed has taunted us publicly, after all…  
>>Y: If they are criminals, we cannot just let them be.  
>>AT: Yeah.  
>>AT: And we don’t have any other targets right now either.  
>>R: Hey, Akira. Let’s talk to Mishima tomorrow. This is more of his thing.  
>>AK: Sure.  
>>R: Also, Makoto. Try seeing if your sister has any info on ‘em.  
>>M: It’s highly unlikely, but sure.  
  
    Satisfied with their plan of action, Ryuji set down his phone and went to get ready for bed.

* * *

 

    The next day at lunch, Ryuji and Akira found Mishima in the hallway. Ryuji hurried over to him. “Mishima! There’s somethin’ important we gotta talk to you about.”  
    “You want to ask me something about the internet, right?” replied Mishima.  
    “Yup,” Ryuji confirmed. “I’m gonna be straight with you here—do you know who Medjed is?”  
    Mishima’s eyebrows shot up. “You weren’t kidding about being direct. Well, I suppose the news about Medjed and the Phantom Thieves has caused quite the commotion… Medjed started out as hackers of justice, but now they only look out for their own self-interests. That’s all I know.”  
    “I see…” Ryuji said.  
    “Nobody’s sure who actually belongs to Medjed,” continued Mishima. “Well, it looks like things’ll be exciting this summer! It’ll be the Phantom Thieves’ world debut, no? I’ll be rooting for the Phantom Thieves.” Mishima checked his watch. “Anyway, I’ve got to get going. I’ll see you guys later.”  
    As Mishima walked away, Morgana poked his head out of Akira’s bag. “That was fruitless…”  
    Ryuji checked his phone. “Wonder if anyone else got any info.”  
  
>>R: Mishima was pretty useless. You guys get anything?  
>>M: I tried asking my sister, but it seemed as though she didn’t know very much about them.  
>>M: She doesn’t specialize in cybercrime, after all.  
>>AT: I tried looking into them too, but I didn’t come up with anything.  
>>AT: There are really just no leads.  
>>Y: Hm, our opponent is truly elusive.  
  
    “Medjed…” Morgana mused. “It seems like we won’t be able to deal with them by ourselves…”

    That afternoon, Ryuji pulled up the chat room again.  
  
>>R: How’re we gonna find Medjed?  
>>AT: I’m not sure. No matter how hard I look online, all I find are just unreliable rumors.  
>>Y: They have carried out corporate terrorism, yet they still manage to elude arrest somehow.  
>>Y: Kaneshiro was a lot of trouble, but this is turning out to be a much greater ordeal?  
>>R: Did we bite off more than we can chew?  
>>AK: Hard to say.  
>>M: Right. There’s no knowing who we’re actually up against if we can’t see the full picture.  
>>M: We don’t even know whether it’s a single individual or a large conglomerate of people.  
>>M: And even if we do manage to get a lead, what do we do from there?  
>>R: Damn, this stuff’s really not going so good…

* * *

 

    With no leads and no clues, there wasn’t much the Phantom Thieves could do about the hacker’s challenge. So Ryuji convinced Akira to go fishing one afternoon to take their minds off of Medjed.  
    Akira and Ryuji were definitely out of place at the fishing pond. There were a lot of old retired guys there. But fishing was relaxing, and Ryuji was happy doing most anything if his friend was around.  
    As they waited for a fish to bite, Ryuji talked—just filling the space between them with whatever came to mind. “Hey, doesn’t meetin’ in a place like this look like we’re talkin’ some shady business...? I like it.”  
    “This is shady,” Akira said, and Ryuji wasn’t entirely sure if his friend was agreeing with him or just talking about the shade from the trees.  
    “Right? Like, ‘we’re regular high school students durin’ the day. But at night...’ You know what I mean!?” Ryuji felt himself blush and hoped Akira wasn’t looking. He _really_ needed not to think about nighttime activities and Akira at the same time. _Change the subject,_ he told himself. “Anyway… I’ve been thinkin’ about the future. With you as the leader, and me as your right-hand man…” _Seriously!?_ Every time he opened his mouth, he said something incredibly gay.  
    Akira looked over at him and studied his face. Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, tried to change the subject back to the fish.  
    “Ryuji,” Akira interrupted. “Can I ask you something?”  
    “Uh, sure. What’s up?”  
    “Do you... like me?”  
    Ryuji’s heart started pounding so hard, he was sure Akira would be able to hear it. “Yeah, ‘course I do, you’re my best friend.”  
    A momentary look of frustration crossed Akira’s face. “That’s not—” He sighed. After a bit of hesitation, he continued, “Ryuji, I like you as more than a friend. And it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, but… I wanted you to know, I guess.”  
     _Holy shit._ “For real?” Ryuji whispered.  
    Akira blushed— _blushed!_ —and nodded. “Yeah, um, pretty much since we first met.” Akira looked over at Ryuji again, who was staring at his friend in shocked disbelief. “Listen, if you don’t—if you just want to be friends, that’s fine...”  
    If they hadn’t been out in public, Ryuji might have kissed him. Instead, he grabbed Akira’s wrist and squeezed. “I don’t wanna be just friends,” he said.  
    Akira searched his face, as if he weren’t completely sure of what Ryuji had just said. Ryuji felt strange, seeing his normally stoic friend look so uncertain.  
    “This is sorta embarrassing,” Ryuji said quietly, “But I’ve had a huge crush on you this whole time. So... now I kind of wish I had said somethin’ earlier.”  
    Akira’s smile had never been more beautiful.


	18. Snapshots III

18\. Snapshots III

  
    “I heard Ryuji bombed his exams!” Morgana crowed. The Phantom Thieves were hanging out in the Shibuya walkway, going over their Mementos requests, when Morgana made this announcement.  
    “Mona, you little—!”  
    The cat hiding in Akira’s bag let out a purr-laugh, clearly pleased with himself.  
    “You should really take your studies more seriously,” Makoto told him.  
    “Now you’re lecturin’ me, too!?”  
    Ann tossed her hair. “She’s right, you know.”  
    “You’re one to talk!” Ryuji shot back. “You’re failing every subject except English!”  
    “At least I’m not failing English,” Ann retorted.  
    Ryuji’s face reddened in frustration and embarrassment. He knew his grades sucked, but that didn’t mean he wanted everyone pointing it out. He looked over at Akira, who was leaning against the railing, and silently pleaded for backup.  
    “I’m going to the diner to study. You could come if you want,” Akira offered.  
    “What?” Ann said. “I thought we were going to Mementos today!”  
    Their leader shrugged. “I need to study. We can go to Mementos tomorrow.” With that, Akira shouldered his bag and started walking.  
    Ryuji jogged to catch up. “Hey—thanks, man. I owe you one.”  
    “Don’t worry about it.”

* * *

  
    “Careful, these ones are strong!” Morgana shouted, as a group of Shadows attacked.  
    A day later, the Phantom Thieves were in Mementos, tracking down the target of a request. They’d been taken by surprise by a group of Shadows, and the battle wasn’t looking good.  
    Akira, Ryuji, Ann, and Makoto were on the front line. Ann had been hit by a sleep attack and was out of commission. Makoto’s attacks were ineffective against the enemies, so she was trying to lay down healing spells on the rest of the group.  
    Ryuji knew they were in bad shape. Even Akira looked concerned, and Mementos rarely phased him. Akira glanced over at Ryuji, tried to muster an encouraging smile. In that moment of distraction, Ryuji saw one of the Shadows lunge at his friend.  
    “Joker!” he shouted, already moving. As the enemy’s attack neared, Ryuji slammed into his friend, knocking Akira out of the way. The Shadow’s strike landed on Ryuji’s back, and he collapsed to the ground with a grunt.  
    “Skull!” Akira yelled, his jacket flaring out as he spun around. In an instant, his pistol was leveled at the Shadow, a bullet blowing the enemy away.  
    They mopped up the last of the Shadows and regrouped on board Morgana.  
    “Never do that again,” Akira insisted as Makoto checked Ryuji for serious injury.  
    “Well, don’t put yourself in a position where I gotta do that again,” Ryuji shot back. “You’re our leader, and I’m your right-hand man, _remember?_ ”  
    Akira tried to glare at him, but it wasn’t convincing.

* * *

  
    Sojiro looked up as the bell on the café door rang. “Oh, it’s you.”  
    Ryuji nodded at the older man. “Yo, boss.”  
    “Kinda late, isn’t it?” Sojiro asked.  
    “We don’t got school tomorrow,” Ryuji said, “So we’re gonna stay up and play video games.”  
    “Whatever,” Sojiro reponded neutrally. Then, raising his voice: “Akira, your friend is here!”  
    Akira appeared on the stairwell before Sojiro even finished calling him.  
    “Before you two go upstairs, why don’t you finish cleaning up? I’m going home.”  
    “Aw, man,” Ryuji muttered under his breath.  
    Akira nodded. “Sure, boss.”  
    “All right then.” Sojiro picked up his coat and hat. “Don’t forget to lock up behind me.”  
  
    When Sojiro was gone, Ryuji looked at his friend. “Dude, let’s go play! We can do the dishes later, right?”  
    Akira shook his head. “It won’t take that long.”  
    As Akira filled the sink with hot water, Ryuji started gathering up the dishes around the shop. The silence between them was peaceful, but it also felt heavy to Ryuji. They hadn’t really talked since the fishing pond a few days earlier. Ryuji had gone over their conversation in his memory about a thousand times, reliving every word, the expression on Akira’s face as he said, _‘I like you as more than a friend.’_  
    But Ryuji wasn’t sure exactly where they stood. They both liked each other, and they both knew they both liked each other. But were they dating? Did it count as dating if you hadn’t actually been on a date? Then again, he and Akira hung out together all the time, so were those dates? _Is this a date!?_  
    “What’re you thinking?” Akira asked as Ryuji handed him some dirty coffee cups.  
    “Uh.” Ryuji felt his face heating up. “N-nothin’.”  
    Akira shook his head fondly. “You know, you can tell me. If you want to.”  
    The two were standing side-by-side in front of the sink. As he washed them, Akira was putting the dishes onto a drying rack. Ryuji grabbed a clean dish towel off the counter and started drying the cups.  
    “I guess… I guess I was just thinkin’ about us.”  
    Akira smiled. “Yeah?”  
    “Yeah. Like, uh… are we… a couple now?” His voice cracked slightly as he said it, and he felt his blush deepening.  
    “Do you want to be?” Akira replied quietly.  
     _Yes!_ “I think so? Do you?”  
    Akira shook the water off his hands and turned towards Ryuji. Ryuji felt his heart start pounding under the gaze of those intense eyes. “Yes.”  
    Ryuji put down the dish towel, trying to will his hands to stop shaking. _Holy shit, I can’t believe this is actually happenin’!_ His imagination was running wild, envisioning Akira grabbing him around the waist, dipping him and bringing their faces together for a kiss. The thought of it made his stomach do flips.  
    But Akira didn’t move. He just stood there, watching Ryuji.  
    “…Did I do somethin’ wrong?” Ryuji asked.  
    Akira shook his head. He seemed surprised by the question.  
    “Then, uh… why are you starin’ at me like that?”  
    Now it was Akira’s turn to blush, which was incredibly endearing. “Well,” he began, more hesitant than usual, “Because I like looking at you.”  
    Ryuji gulped. Nobody had ever said anything like that to him before.  
    “And… because I want to kiss you.”  
    At that, Ryuji felt decidedly weak in the knees. “Why don’t you?” he whispered. _Please_.  
    Akira’s eyes dropped to the floor. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he admitted. “I don’t want to push you further than you want to go.”  
    It took Ryuji a moment to process what his friend—his _boyfriend_ —was saying. Akira wanted to kiss him, but he wasn’t, because he was worried about how _Ryuji_ felt.  
     _How the hell did I get so lucky,_ Ryuji thought. Akira kept standing there, eyes fixed on Ryuji’s face. _Just kiss me already!_ Ryuji wanted to say it out loud, but he couldn’t find his voice.  
    Only one thing to do, then. Ryuji put one hand on Akira’s arm for stability, leaned forward, and pressed their lips together.  
    Akira let out a soft sigh against Ryuji’s lips, as his hand came up and rested on Ryuji’s back, just below his shoulder blade.  
    The water in the sink grew cold as the two of them stood there in the café kitchen, slowly kissing, gently testing how their mouths fit together. Eventually, they broke apart, and Ryuji found himself swaying on his feet.  
    “Come here,” Akira said, leading him over to one of the booths and sliding in next to him.  
    “Holy shit,” Ryuji whispered, and Akira laughed. “That was amazing. That was amazing, right?”  
    “It was,” agreed Akira. The two stared at each other in contentment.  
    “Do you still want to play that game?”  
    “We could,” Akira said neutrally. “Or we could stay here.”  
    Ryuji grabbed him by the lapel of his school jacket and pulled him in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That first scene brought to you by every time I got everyone together at the hideout and then decided not to go to Mementos.
> 
> Also, this awesome fan art was my inspiration for the kiss scene (or Ryuji's fantasy version, anyway): http://lowaharts.tumblr.com/post/160594682920/just-me-and-a-vulgar-boy (Thanks to TadpoleSoda for giving me the link to the original!)


	19. Alibaba

19\. Alibaba

  
    A few days after their memorable evening at the café, Akira found Ryuji in the hallway at school. The sight of him made a stupid grin cross Ryuji’s face, but Akira seemed concerned.  
    “Hey, man, what’s up? Somethin’ the matter?”  
    Akira pulled out his phone. “I started getting messages from a blocked number during class.” He held out the phone, and Ryuji started scrolling through the messages.  
  
>>?: I am the one they call Alibaba.  
>>?: I want to ask you something.  
>>?: You’re a phantom thief, aren’t you?  
  
    “Shit,” Ryuji said, looking up at Akira in alarm. “This ain’t good.”  
    “Keep reading.”  
  
>>?: Can you really steal hearts?  
>>?: There is someone whose heart I would like you to steal.  
>>?: But I’m not asking for charity. Let’s make a deal.  
>>?: You wish to know about Medjed, correct?  
>>?: I can give you information on them if the change of heart is successful.  
>>?: If you so desire, I can take care of them as well.  
>>?: Do you believe in my skills?  
>>?: I can track down their accounts, just as I have with yours.  
  
    When he reached the end, Ryuji asked, “Did you message ‘em back?”  
    “I tried, but I just got an error message. Like the account didn’t exist.”  
    “Didja tell the others yet?”  
    Akira shook his head. “I think we should meet in the hideout.”  
    “Yeah, for real. Everybody needs to see this.”

* * *

  
    Later, Akira brought the rest of the group up to speed.  
    “How were we found out?” Yusuke wondered.  
    “He may have traced our chat log…” said Makoto. “I don’t know much about it myself, but it’s possible.”  
    “How’s it done?” Ann asked the other girl.  
    “And how come Akira got an error when he tried to message this guy back?” Ryuji added.  
    “Don’t ask me everything!” Makoto said. “I told you that I don’t know much about it.”  
    “Might this be what is referred to as… hacking?” suggested Yusuke.  
    Ryuji’s eyes widened. “Then, does that mean this guy’s a hacker!?”  
    “I don’t get all this high-tech stuff,” Morgana complained.  
    “An unknown hacker contacted us,” Ann explained tp the cat.  
    “Hey,” Ryuji said, as a new thought occurred to him,” Wouldn’t it be great if we got this guy on our side?”  
    “We know nothing about his identity at all,” cautioned Makoto. “We can’t trust him.”  
    “I don’t think it’s a bad deal, though,” Ryuji insisted.  
    Yusuke shook his head. “Even if Alibaba turns out to be a criminal? I am not helping anyone of that sort.”  
    “Oh… right. That wouldn’t be good,” Ryuji agreed, scuffing one shoe on the floor.  
    “Could this just be a prank?” asked Ann.  
    “He knows an awful lot for it to be a prank,” Makoto said.  
    “He must have some sort of objective of his own,” Yusuke said. “He did offer us a deal, after all. I’m certain he’ll contact us again.”  
    Makoto nodded. “We should stay together. That way, if something happens, we can act at once.”  
    “So, somewhere we can wait and hide for long hours?” Ryuji asked. “How ‘bout Leblanc?”  
    The students all looked at Akira, who nodded his agreement.

* * *

  
    When they arrived at LeBlanc, Sojiro raised his eyebrows at the group of students. “What are you all doing here? Oh—is that a new face I see?”  
    Makoto was the new face Sojiro had spotted. “Hello, sir,” she said. “My name is Makoto Niijima.”  
    “She’s our student council president,” Ryuji announced.  
    “Student body president, huh? Well, I hope Akira’s not giving you any trouble.”  
    “Not at all,” Makoto assured him.  
    “Well, make yourselves comfortable. Akira, there’s a letter here for you.”  
    The teens all settled in to one of the booths. Yusuke ordered a cup of coffee, while Ryuji begged Sojiro for a soda.  
    “What’s in the envelope?” Ann asked.  
    Akira unsealed the letter and pulled out the single piece of paper inside. “It’s… a calling card,” he said, confused.  
    Instantly, the others snapped to attention.  
    “Anything else in there?” Ann asked.  
     Makoto picked up the envelope. “There’s no stamp on this,” she told the others. “Whoever this is from, they must have dropped it off in person.”  
    “What the hell?” Ryuji asked, feeling increasingly freaked out. “What’s going on!?”  
    “Could it have been Alibaba?” asked Yusuke.   
    “He did mention something about preparing the ‘necessary tool’…” Morgana said. “Is this what he was talking about?”  
    “All we can do is wait for Alibaba to contact us. Let’s brace ourselves,” Makoto advised.  
    Just then, a news bulletin appeared on the television screen. “We have late-breaking news on Medjed, whose notoriety rose since their statement the other day. Just moments ago, a new message has been released on their website. They have announced their victory over the Phantom Thieves.”  
    “For real!?” Ryuji pulled out his phone, looking up Medjed’s site. “Oh, come on! It’s in English!”  
    Ann also pulled up the site and began translating. “The Phantom Thieves remain silent at our question. This proves that we are just. People of Japan, you must not worship the Phantom Thieves. Those who do will be disciplined. The punishment is the confiscation of possessions.”  
    “What does that all mean!?” Ryuji demanded.  
    “They’re saying that they’ll target sympathizers of the Phantom Thieves,” explained Makoto. “Perhaps bank accounts or personal information… Maybe all they care about is labeling the Phantom Thieves as crooks.”  
    Ryuji ground his teeth. “That’s complete bullshit.”  
    “Isn’t there anything we can do?” Ann asked.  
    “It’s certain we can’t do anything about this on our own,” Yusuke said. “We may have to wait to be contacted by Alibaba.”  
    “This sucks!” Ryuji rocked back in his chair in frustration. “Dammit, I hate that these guys are just talkin’ shit about us and we can’t do anythin’ about it!”  
    “As it is, we’re stuck,” said Morgana. “We might as well get some rest and regroup tomorrow.”

* * *

  
    Sitting through class the next day was interminable. Ryuji hated having to wait for Alibaba to make a move.  
  
>>R: Did Alibaba message you yet?  
>>R: Nothing?  
>>R: Let us know ASAP if he tries to get in touch with you, mkay?  
>>AK: K.  
  
    After class, Ryuji hurried over to Kawakami’s classroom to see if Akira had any updates. His friend was waiting for him outside the classroom door.  
    “So? Didja—”  
    “Take a look,” Akira said, holding out his phone.  
  
>>?: I have prepared the calling card for you.  
>>?: When are you going to steal it?  
>>AK: What’re you talking about?  
>>?: Stealing a heart, of course.  
>>?: Aren’t you able to steal a heart as long as you have a calling card?  
>>AK: I need a name.  
>>?: I see.  
>>?: I suppose past calling cards did have names on them.  
>>?: Very well, I’ll tell you.  
>>?: I believe their name was… Futaba Sakura.   
>>?: If you fail in this mission, I will expose your identity to the world.  
>>?: I’ll be counting on you. We shall speak again after the change of heart.  
  
    Ryuji looked back up at Akira. “Is there anythin’ more?”  
    Akira shook his head. “I tried to respond, but the number was blocked, like before.”  
    Ann walked up as Ryuji looked over the messages again. “Futaba Sakura, huh? I wonder who that is.”  
    “Boss’ name is Sakura,” Akira said.  
    “Oh man, you’re right! That’s a weird coincidence.”  
    “Does Boss have any relatives?” Ann asked.  
    “I don’t know,” admitted Akira.  
    “For real!? How laid back are you!?” Ryuji looked at his friend in disbelief. “You’re livin’ at his place!”  
    “Makoto said the letter was hand-delivered, right?” Ann asked. “That seems suspicious, doesn’t it? Maybe it really is someone related to Boss.”  
    “Can you ask Boss about Futaba Sakura?” Ryuji suggested. “See what his reaction is!”  
  
    That night, Ryuji’s phone buzzed as he was brushing his teeth. He picked it up and checked his messages.  
  
>>AK: I asked Boss about Futaba Sakura.  
>>AK: He definitely knew the name.  
>>AK: He didn’t want to talk about it.  
>>M: Alibaba might be our only hope of defeating Medjed.  
>>M: I wish we could get some info about Futaba out of Boss…  
>>AT: But trying to force it out would probably have the opposite effect.  
>>Y: To be honest, I owe a great deal to both Boss and Akira.  
>>Y: I don’t wish for this to be a source of discord between them.  
>>R: Yeah, I know what you mean!  
>>M: It’s probably best to wait for Boss to bring the subject up himself.  
>>M: We’ll just have to hope Alibaba doesn’t get too impatient.  
>>R: Hey, I gotta idea.  
>>R: If this Futaba Sakura is related to Boss, d’you think people livin’ nearby would know about her?  
>>M: That is an excellent insight, Ryuji.  
>>AT: Where was that insight during your exams!?  
>>R: Ugh, don’t talk to me about exams.  
>>R: Anyway, Akira, don’t you think you should ask around?  
>>AK: It’s a good idea. I’ll try tomorrow.


	20. Futaba Sakura

20\. Futaba Sakura

  
    Ryuji stared out the window, barely listening to the lecture. Not that he was ever especially engaged in his schoolwork, but with Medjed and Alibaba on his mind, he really wasn’t interested.  
    The social studies teacher kept droning on. “The next category of psychiatric illnesses are anxiety disorders. All of us experience some degree of anxiety in our lives, but for certain people, anxiety significantly harms their well-being. Sakamoto-san.”  
    Ryuji jumped. _Shit, what’re we talkin’ about?_  
    The teacher smirked. “Can you give an example of an anxiety disorder?”  
    Ryuji stared at his desk. _Think of something, think of something!_ “Uh, how ‘bout those folks who can’t leave their house ever?”  
    “Well done,” Mr. Ushimaru said, impressed. “What you’re describing is called _agoraphobia_ , and it is classified as an anxiety disorder. People with agoraphobia feel unable to leave their homes without experiencing extreme fear.”  
    The teacher turned to the chalkboard and began writing. “Agoraphobia can occur simultaneously with other anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Ito-san, could you define post-traumatic stress disorder for us?”  
    “Post-traumatic stress disorder,” the other student began, “results when a person experiences a traumatic event, such as being in a war.”  
    The teacher nodded. “Excellent. Post-traumatic stress can also result from experiences in childhood…”  
    Ryuji tuned out again, hoping he wouldn’t get called on to answer another question. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed.  
  
>>AK: Boss has a daughter.  
>>AK: I think it’s Futaba.  
>>R: For real!?  
>>R: Did he tell you that?  
>>AK: Not exactly.  
>>AK: A woman came to LeBlanc last night, talking about parental custody.  
>>AK: I think we’re on the right track. Let’s meet at the hideout later.  
  
    “So you’re telling us Futaba is Boss’ daughter, and he’s abusing her?” Makoto asked when they gathered in the walkway in Shibuya. “I don’t know him very well… is he really the kind of person who would do that?”  
    “There’s no way,” Akira insisted.  
    Makoto frowned. “I would like to believe so as well, but…”  
    “I don’t get it,” Ann said. “Whoever Futaba is, why does Alibaba want us to steal her heart, anyway?”  
    “That’s an excellent question,” Makoto replied. “What if Alibaba is Futaba herself?”  
    The rest of the group stared at Makoto. Yusuke was the first to speak. “But that would mean she’s asking us to steal her own heart.”  
    “How is that even possible!?” Ryuji asked.  
    “Think about it,” said Makoto. “If we were to steal Futaba’s heart, how would Alibaba be able to ascertain that the deed was done? It would only be possible if Alibaba knew Futaba personally. And on top of that, Alibaba was able to deliver the calling card to LeBlanc directly. It all suggests that Alibaba and Futaba are very closely linked.”  
    “Do you think it’s really possible?” asked Ann. “She wants us to steal her own heart?”  
    “I’m not certain,” Makoto admitted. “But I’d like to talk to Boss about all this. Let’s all go together.”  
  
    The group headed down to the train station, but on the way, they were intercepted by the TV detective, Akechi.  
    “Niijima-san!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”  
    “Akechi-kun…” she replied, surprised.  
    “Akechi,” Ryuji muttered.  
    The other boy considered the group. “You’re the ones from the TV station… Could it be that you’re friends of Niijima-san?”  
    “Do you know him?” Yusuke asked Ryuji.  
    “Nice to meet you,” Akechi replied pleasantly. “My name is Akechi. Glad to make your acquaintance, Yusuke Kitagawa.”  
    Yusuke stared. “How do you know my name?”  
    “I’m a rookie detective,” he answered. “You’re a former pupil of Madarame, right? I have actually just recently joined the investigation team looking into the Phantom Thieves.”  
     _Shit_ , Ryuji thought. _Just what we need._ The others looked concerned as well.  
    “Hm?” Akechi looked at Ryuji. “Why do you seem so agitated?”  
    “I’m, uh, a huge fan of the Phantom Theives,” Ryuji said. “Eff the police, right?” He laughed awkwardly.  
    “I must say,” Akechi replied, “This is an interesting group. Prosecutor Niijima’s sister, an ex-pupil of Madarame, and a few Shujin Academy students… It seems you’re all connected to the Phantom Thieves. Perhaps you have better intel than I do.” Akechi looked at Akira. “I wanted to ask you—regarding this whole Medjed business, if you were one of the Phantom Thieves, what would you do?”  
    Ryuji and Makoto shared a concerned look. _What’s up with all these questions?_ Ryuji wondered. _Does he suspect us?_  
    Akira returned Akechi’s gaze calmly. “I don’t care,” he said.  
    Akechi seemed surprised. “Is that so? After our conversation at the TV station, I would have thought you’d have more of an opinion on the matter.”  
    “Sorry to disappoint,” Ryuji told him, “But we’re just normal high school kids. If anything, we wanna hear what you gotta say, Mr. Detective.”  
    “My profiling of the Phantom Thieves has led me to believe they are a group of juveniles, with free time after school and a hideout to slip away to. Considering their first target was Kamoshida, it seems they began activity around April.” Akechi looked at Akira again, his expression suddenly harsh. “In a way, all I’ve just said about the Phantom Thieves coincides with the group you have here.”  
     Ryuji felt a chill go down his spine. _He totally suspects us._ He summoned some bravado and said, “What, you gonna report us?”  
    “I didn’t say I was being suspicious of you,” Akechi replied.  
    “You’re the suspicious one,” Akira said.  
    Akechi was momentarily speechless, but he regained his composure and said, “I wasn’t anticipating that response. You always find a way to rise above my expectations. You really are an intriguing one. I lack your calm mannerisms… but don’t you think my deduction is an interesting one?” He winked at Akira. “I bet we’d make a great team if we worked together.”  
    “What!?” Ryuji snapped in spite of himself. _Was Akechi flirting with Akira just now? What the hell!_  
    Akechi ignored Ryuji entirely, taking a step closer to Akira. Lowering his voice, he said, “I’m curious to hear what you have to say. You seem to be a wealth of information. In return, I could teach you how to make deductions. What do you say?”  
    Akira just stared at Akechi and said nothing.  
    “Well,” Akechi said. “This has been a valuable point of reference for me. I hope to see you all again.” With that, he walked away.  
    “What was that about?” Ann asked when Akechi was out of sight.  
    Yusuke frowned. “Do you think he’s ascertained our true identities?”  
    “Nah, couldn’t be,” Ryuji replied. “Right?”  
    Makoto was staring off in the direction Akechi had gone. “I’d like to say that it’s simply us overthinking this, but… it may be best to be cautious from now on. We shouldn’t underestimate Akechi.”

* * *

  
    After their encounter with Akechi, the group headed back to LeBlanc. Despite it only being six o’clock, the café was closed.  
    “That’s weird,” Ann said. “Where’s Boss?”  
    “Maybe he got sick or somethin’?” Ryuji suggested.  
    “I know where his house is,” Akira said. “Let’s go check it out.”  
  
    The group walked over to Sojiro’s house and rang the bell, but no one answered. Even after a few more attempts, there was still no response.  
    “Nobody is answering,” Makoto said, “But I can hear the television on inside.”  
    “Maybe he fell asleep in front’a the TV?” Ryuji suggested.  
    “With how many times we rang the doorbell, he definitely would have woken up by now,” Ann said.  
    Yusuke, ignoring the others, suddenly interrupted. “Ah, the gate is unlocked.”  
    “Dude,” Ryuji said. “You can’t go openin’ other people’s stuff like that.”  
    “But look.” Makoto pointed past the open gate. “The door seems to be slightly open as well.”  
    “This’s weird.” Ryuji said. “D’you think somethin’ might have happened to Boss? He is pretty old…”  
    “Maybe we should go in and check on him,” Makoto said. Akira nodded his agreement, so they pushed open the gate and went inside.  
    Just as they entered the house, there was a crack of thunder and the lights went out. Ann let out a shriek and grabbed Ryuji’s arm.  
    “Seriously?” Ryuji asked her. “What are you, six?”  
    “Shut up! I was just startled is all,” Ann said, but she didn’t let go of Ryuji’s arm.  
    “Hello?” Makoto said, stepping forward in the darkened hallway. “Is anyone home?”  
    There was no response.  
    “I sense someone’s presence,” Yusuke murmured.  
    With a tremor in her voice, Makoto asked, “Who’s there?”  
    Ann was still holding tight to Ryuji’s arm, and Ryuji had to admit even he was feeling freaked out by the whole situation. Just then, a flash of lightning illuminated the hallway, revealing a figure standing just behind Makoto.  
    Makoto screamed, fell to her knees, and grabbed onto the nearest object as a shield, which happened to be Akira’s leg. She started frantically repeating, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”  
    “Who’s there!?” Sojiro’s voice cut through the darkness. “Don’t move, whoever you are!” There was a click, and then Ryuji was squinting against the light of a flashlight.  
    “You!?” Sojiro said, incredulous. “What are you all doing in my house!?” He looked at Ann and Ryuji, then at Makoto clinging to Akira’s leg. “What is all this?”  
    “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Makoto muttered.  
    Ann let go of Ryuji and gave a small bow to Sojiro. “When we saw that the café was closed, we came over to see if everything was okay. The door was open a little bit, so we were worried maybe something had happened.”  
    “Is that true?” Sojiro said. Akira nodded, and the older man sighed. “I guess I have left the door unlocked a few times. I’m getting forgetful.”  
    Makoto by now had gotten over her panic and stood. “Pardon me, Boss…” she said, “But I have a question. Someone else lives here… isn’t that right?”  
    Sojiro sighed again, his shoulders slumping. “Yes, that’s right. My daughter lives here.” He looked at Akira. “I shouldn’t have kept this from you.”  
    “Um, could we meet her?” Makoto asked. “I think we scared her just now, and we’d like to apologize.”  
    “That… that’s not going to be easy,” Sojiro said. “Come on back to LeBlanc, I’ll explain everything.”

* * *

  
    Back at the café, Sojiro told them about Wakaba, Futaba’s mother, who raised Futaba alone. “You could really tell how much she cared for Futaba. But one day, she left, leaving Futaba behind.”  
    “She left?” Akira asked softly.  
    Sojiro nodded. “Yes. She committed suicide… Threw herself into the street, right in front of Futaba’s eyes.”  
    Ryuji imagined his own mom, throwing herself into traffic. He shook his head to clear the image. “That’s gotta be devastating for a kid,” he said.  
    “A lot happened after that,” Sojiro continued, “But I ended up taking custody of Futaba. At first, she was so depressed, she wouldn’t even talk to me.”  
    “Was that because she couldn’t get over her mother’s suicide?” Ann wondered.  
    Sojiro acknowledged Ann with a nod. “I kept talking to her though, and she started opening up to me, little by little. That’s when I found out… Futaba blames herself for her mother’s death.”  
    “What?” Ann exclaimed. “Why!?”  
    “That part she’s never told me. I didn’t want to push her. But a few months ago, she started getting real scared, even when nothing was happening. She’d say things like, ‘I hear voices…’ and ‘Mom is looking at me…’”  
    “Visual and auditory hallucinations,” Yusuke muttered. “Have you taken Futaba to a doctor?”  
    “I wanted to,” Sojiro sighed. “But she refused. Even when I had a doctor come to the house, she locked herself away in her room. Since then, she’s become what you’d call a shut-in. She won’t take a single step outside the house.”  
    “That’s awful,” Makoto said.  
    Sojiro looked at Akira. “So… Futaba’s situation is why I couldn’t let you in my house.”  
    “I understand,” he replied.  
    “Thanks. What Futaba needs is a safe place where nobody will threaten her. Somewhere she can be at ease… So can you all just leave her be?”  
    The Phantom Thieves exchanged glances but said nothing. Sojiro sighed again. “Look, I’m going home to check on Futaba. You all should get home, too.” With that, he left.  
    “No way in hell he’s abusin’ her,” Ryuji stated once they were alone. He knew abusive fathers, and Sojiro definitely wasn’t one.  
    “The reason why Futaba wants her heart stolen must be related to what happened to her mother,” Ann mused.  
    “So she’d like to discard her feelings of pain, but can’t do anything about it herself,” Yusuke said.  
    “If we’re going to change her heart, we’ll need clues to her keywords,” said Makoto.  
    Something was bothering Ryuji. “Hold on a sec. Do we even know if she has a Palace? Let’s check.”  
    Akira pulled out his phone. Ryuji said, “The Futaba Sakura that lives at Sojiro Sakura’s house. Is that gonna be enough?”  
    “Candidate found,” the phone announced.  
    “She does have a Palace,” Ryuji said in surprise. “Just what kinda person is Futaba, anyway?”


	21. The Book of the Dead

21\. The Book of the Dead

  
    “Input accepted. Searching for route to destination,” Ryuji’s phone declared to the group gathered outside Futaba’s door.  
    Futaba herself had given them the keyword for her Palace. She thought of Sojiro’s house as her tomb.  
    “Well, let’s hurry up and go,” Ryuji said. “Aaaaand clicky.”  
    “Not here, you idiot—!” Morgana shouted, but it was too late.  
    A moment later, the Phantom Thieves found themselves in the middle of a vast, empty desert.  
    Ryuji looked around at the others. “What the…? Our clothes are still the same?”  
    “Futaba herself is asking us to steal her heart,” Morgana reminded him. “If she doesn’t see us as a threat, then your clothes don’t change. That’s how it works.” Then, his tail puffed up in anger and he continued, “More importantly, I told you to be cautious! Why’d you activate it like that!?”  
    “Is that why we ended up in a desert? Where’s the tomb?” Ryuji hung his head. “It’s so damn hot here.”  
    Far on the horizon, something glimmered. “A tomb in the desert… Is that it?” Makoto asked. “Let’s make our way there.”  
    “Isn’t that kind of far?” Ann replied. “Are we going to walk?”  
    “Of course not!” Morgana said. He transformed himself into a bus. “I’ll make sure to put the AC on full blast.”  
  
    In spite of the promised air conditioning, the ride in the bus was miserable and hot. The air coming out of the vents was lukewarm at best.  
    Ann and Makoto were in the front seat, the boys behind them in the back. Ann tried ineffectually to fan herself with one hand. Makoto leaned over the steering wheel in exhaustion. Next to Ryuji, Akira started unbuttoning his school shirt, revealing a stretch of pale skin. Ryuji swallowed, hard, and tried to force his eyes forward. When he glanced at Akira again, his boyfriend was smirking at him.  
    “Shuttup,” Ryuji muttered. Then he slumped down in his seat, grateful that the others didn’t seem to be paying any attention.  
  
    Eventually, they arrived at their destination: a pyramid, like the ones in Egypt. It was massive.  
    “What was with that lukewarm air!?” Ryuji demanded.  
    “That was the best I could do, so quit your yapping!” Morgana shot back.  
    “For real, you are so half-assed!”  
    “What was that!? You wanna fight, punk?”  
    Ann glared at them both. “Geez, shut up! It’s hot, so don’t make me more irritated!”  
    In an attempt to get them back on track, Makoto said, “To think Futaba’s Palace would be a pyramid…”  
    “Hey, a pyramid’s a tomb, right?” Ryuji asked.  
    “Yes,” Yusuke confirmed. “It’s a pharaoh’s tomb.”  
    “There are a variety of theories on it,” Makoto said. “For instance, it’s even said to be a device for reviving the dead.”  
    “Well, it’s probably cooler in there than it is out here,” said Ann. “Let’s go inside already.”  
  
    They were able to enter the Palace without any problems, presumably because Futaba had invited them in. Inside was a massive staircase leading up to the top of the pyramid. The group started climbing.  
    When they were nearly at the top, a figure appeared in front of them.  
    “There’s someone there!” Morgana hissed.  
    “Hey, is this…?” Ryuji started. The figure was a young-looking girl dressed in an Egyptian outfit.  
    “That’s Futaba’s Shadow,” Morgana said. “It isn’t the real her.”  
    “True, she is kind of dressed like a queen,” Ryuji said. Taking a step forward, he asked, “Hey, where’s the Treasure?”  
    “It’s doubtful you wouldn’t know where it is,” Makoto added.  
    The Shadow didn’t respond.  
    “Hey, say somethin’!”  
    Ann stepped forward as well. “Don’t be like that!” To Futaba, she said, “I’m sorry, Futaba-chan. It’s OK, there’s no need to be scared. So, can you tell us where your most treasured possession is?”  
    “This is going nowhere,” Yusuke said.  
    “Let’s just leave her,” agreed Ryuji.  
    “Will you guys shut up for a bit!?” Ann exclaimed, but before she could say anything else, the Shadow spoke.  
    “Those who plunder my tomb. Why have you come?”  
    “What’re you sayin’?” Ryuji asked. “You want us to steal it, right?”  
    “If you believe you can steal it, then try as you might. Considering the state that my Palace is in… There is no way that you can steal it.”  
    Just then, other voices began to speak. They seemed to be coming from everywhere—and nowhere. _“You killed her!” “You’re a plague!”_  
    “What are these voices?” Yusuke said, voicing the question they were all wondering.  
   _“Murderer!”_ At the sound of the voices, Shadow Futaba fell to the ground, covering her ears. _“Why don’t you say something!?” “You’re the one who killed her!” “It’s all your fault!”_  
    “This is horrible…” Ann whispered.  
    Ryuji looked at Akira in concern. “Hey, the hell is this?”  
   _“Don’t just stand there, say something!” “Your fault!”_  
    “That’s right,” the Shadow said. “I did it.”  
    Ryuji stared at the Shadow, who was now floating and transparent. “What…?”  
    “I am the one who killed my mother,” she said. A horrible roar that shook the pyramid.  
    “What was that!?” Ann asked.  
    “My mother exists here. I will remain here. I will do so until I die.”  
    Suddenly, their clothes all changed, and the group of students transformed into the Phantom Thieves.  
    “She sees us a threat now…” Yusuke said. “What’s going on?”  
    “Dammit! What the hell…?” Ryuji asked.  
    Makoto was already in tactician mode. “This is bad. We should regroup and—” A rumbling sound cut her off. Above them, a giant boulder fell onto the stairs.  
    “Ruuuuun!” Morgana yelled, and they ran.

* * *

  
>>R: Well that sucked.  
>>AT: Is doing this really going to help us do something about Medjed?  
>>Y: Do they truly intend to follow through on their threat? It’d be a shame if our efforts were a waste.  
>>?: Medjed will definitely make a move.  
>>AT: Alibaba!  
>>?: I’m checking in on your progress. How much longer will it take?  
>>M: Your heart is more problematic than we had anticipated.  
>>R: Hey, Alibaba!  
>>R: Can you really do something about Medjed?  
>>?: Of course.  
>>Y: Unfortunately, we have next to no evidence to support that.  
>>?: Your work will be rewarded. I promise.  
>>?: Besides, you have no other option, do you?  
>>M: I suppose that’s true…  
>>?: I ask that you take care of this quickly.  
>>?: Until then.

* * *

  
    “Hang on just a minute,” Akira told Ryuji. “There’s something I have to take care of real quick.”  
    “Yeah, sure,” Ryuji agreed. It was a few days after their first foray into Futaba’s Palace, and the two were on their way to the air soft shop to pawn some junk they’d picked up in Mementos. Akira paused in the alley outside the shop, looked around to see if anyone was watching, and vanished.  
    This wasn’t the first time. Ryuji had seen his friend disappear before in that rippling, flickering way that meant he was going into the Metaverse. But he wasn’t going to a Palace, or to Mementos. In fact, he hadn’t even pulled up the navigation app on his phone before disappearing. Wherever he went, it was somewhere… else. Somewhere the rest of them couldn’t follow.  
    Ryuji didn’t like it.  
  
    Later, as they walked back to the train station, Ryuji asked him, “Where d’you go? When you disappear on me like that?”  
    Akira hunched his shoulders, a sure sign that he was uncomfortable. He slowed to a stop and looked at Ryuji. It seemed like he was trying to decide whether he wanted to answer the question. Ryuji was willing to wait.  
    “It’s called The Velvet Room,” Akira told his boyfriend quietly. “It’s hard to explain, to be honest.”  
    “It’s part’a the Metaverse?”  
    He nodded. “I think so. But different. Sometimes when I fall asleep, I wake up there, like it’s a dream. But I can also get there even when I’m awake. There are… doors I can go through.”  
    Ryuji kept his own voice low to match Akira’s. “What is it, though? Why d’you go there at all?”  
    “There’s a man there…” Akira trailed off. He began again: “You know how I can hold multiple Personas?” Ryuji nodded. “There’s a way I can combine them, make them stronger. In the Velvet Room.”  
    Ryuji was troubled by the nagging feeling that Akira was holding back. There was more to this place than he was letting on. But he didn’t want to push, so he simply said, “Okay. Thanks for tellin’ me.”  
    Akira smiled in response, but it didn’t reach all the way to his eyes.

* * *

  
    When the Phantom Thieves returned to Futaba’s Palace, they found it far less welcoming to their presence than it had been at first. They had to find a new way inside and slowly work their way back towards the top of the pyramid, fighting Shadows all along the way.  
    The pyramid itself was full of traps and puzzles. Returning to the central corridor, they found a puzzle that required them to complete an image. When Akira solved it, it seemed to depict Shadow-Futaba receiving some kind of message.  
    “Hm,” Yusuke said, considering the completed picture. “The emotions of the artist are often depicted in the art they produce… I can sense serious pain harbored in her heart.”  
    At that moment, a voice seemed to emanate from the mural. “I should never have had Futaba,” a man’s voice said flatly, as if he were reciting something. “She was always such a bother. It seems you caused your mother a great deal of trouble, Futaba-chan.”  
    “What was that?” Ann asked.  
    “Based on its contents, it sounded almost like a suicide note…” Makoto said hesitantly.  
    Ryuji felt his stomach turn. “That’s a fuckin’ sick thing to do to a kid if that’s really how it all went down.”

  
    The group continued on. More traps, more Shadows, and eventually, another picture-puzzle. This one resolved into a picture of a woman—Wakaba, they assumed—jumping into traffic.  
    “Could this be the moment when Futaba’s mother committed suicide…?” Ann said, sadly.  
    “She died right in front of Futaba’s eyes,” Ryuji murmured.  
    “That’s horrible…” Makoto replied.  
    “So, did her desire to forget those memories cause her to repress them?” Yusuke wondered. But they would have to press on to find any answers.  
  
    When they reached the third and final image puzzle, they knew what to expect. The image, when Akira unscrambled it, showed Futaba pulling on her mother’s clothes.  
    Once again, voices came out of the mural. First, a girl’s voice pleaded, “Mom… I’m—I’m tired of eating dinner alone all the time. I wanna go somewhere. Take me on a trip!”  
    A woman’s voice responded: “Don’t be so selfish! You know I’m working hard to support you, right!? Ugh!”  
    “She seemed angry,” Makoto said when the voices stopped.  
    “It’s pretty normal for a child to want to spend time with their parents, though…” Ann said, and Ryuji was reminded of how absent Ann’s own parents were.  
    “Looks like Futaba was a pretty lonely kid growin’ up…” Ryuji agreed.  
    Thoughtful, Yusuke said, “So these incidents compounded, forcing her mother to suicide…?”  
    Just then, Shadow Futaba appeared in front of them. “I must die,” she said flatly.  
    “Huh?” said Ann.  
    “I killed her… That’s why I’m here in this tomb…”  
    “Don’t say that!” Ann exclaimed.  
    “I will die…” Futaba’s Shadow replied, before disappearing again.  
    “Futaba-chan!” Ann looked at the rest of the Phantom Thieves. “We have to hurry and save her!”  
    At the top of the pyramid, they found a locked door that looked just like Futaba’s room in the real world. To get through, they needed the real Futaba to open the door.  
    “Boss said she doesn’t let anyone in, though, She’s a serious shut-in.” Ryuji said.  
    “We’ll have to try,” Makoto responded. “Standing around here won’t do us any good.”  
    “I agree,” Ann said. She sounded determined. “We need to help Futaba-chan, even if we have to force our way in."


	22. Truth and Freedom

22\. Truth and Freedom

  
    “Hey, uh.”  
    Akira looked up from the manga he was reading. He and Ryuji were enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon in the attic of LeBlanc.  
    Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward. “Can I ask you a question?”  
    “Sure.”  
    “When did you, uh—when did you know that you were into guys?”  
    Akira considered the question for a minute. “In middle school, I guess. Everyone else was starting to look at girls, and I just wasn’t interested. I was only interested in guys.” He shrugged. “What about you?”  
    “I dunno, it was freakin’ confusin’.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I guess a part of me knew since I was a kid. I used to watch action shows, y’know? And I would always be way into the heroes. But then in middle school, like you said, everybody started noticin’ girls, and hey, I liked girls too. It was easier to just look at the girls and ignore the other stuff.”  
    Akira nodded. “Who was your first boy crush? Like on TV or whatever?”  
    The question made Ryuji blush. “Uh, it’s kinda embarrassing, but did you ever watch Sailor Moon?” Yeah, it was a show for girls, but it was _good_. “I totally had a thing for Tuxedo Mask.”  
    His friend stared at him for a long moment, and then burst out laughing. Head thrown back, shoulders shaking—it was the hardest Ryuji had ever seen Akira laugh.  
    “What the hell!?” he demanded.   
    Akira struggled to get his laughter under control, finally saying, “Your first male crush was a mysterious guy in a long black coat and a mask?”  
    Ryuji’s blush spread down his neck and onto his chest. “So what!? He was cool!”  
    “Very cool,” Akira agreed with a grin. “You totally have a type.”

* * *

  
    A few days later, and yet again, the Phantom Thieves were standing in the hallway of Sojiro’s house, looking at Futaba’s closed door. It was time to change her cognition so they could steal her Treasure.  
    “Hello, Futaba?” Makoto called. “You’re there aren’t you? Please, answer us.” No response.  
    More firmly, Makoto said, “Alibaba, we know you’re there. It doesn’t matter if it’s through chat messaging, just answer us.”  
    Akira’s phone buzzed.  
>>?: You should’ve told me you were going to come here.  
    “In order to steal your heart, we need you to open this door,” Makoto said. “We can’t change your heart otherwise. Please let us in.”  
>>?: I’m not mentally prepared!  
>>AK: You have to do this.  
    “The other you within your heart told us to have you open it,” Makoto added out loud. “Deep down, you want to open this door, don’t you?”  
>>?:  The other me?  
>>?: Give me some time.  
    “Ten seconds,” Makoto replied.  
>>?: That’s too short! At least minutes. Please!  
    “Fine,” Makoto agreed. “But if Boss comes home, we’ll kick down the door if we must.”  
  
    About five minutes later, Makoto knocked on the door. “Time’s up, Alibaba.” Looking at the rest of the group, Makoto said, “We need to change her cognition. Better to be completely safe than sorry.”  
    “So she has to be the one to invite us in,” Yusuke said.   
    Makoto nodded. “Futaba, please open the door.”  
    There was a long pause, and then the door unlatched.  
  
    Inside, the room looked like a cross between a library and a garbage dump. There were papers strewn on the bed and across the floor. Bags of trash were piled up. The bookshelves were crammed with difficult-looking books.  
    Makoto began reading the titles. “Medical science, information technology, biology, psychology… These are all technical books…”  
    Ann was looking around, shocked. “She keeps herself cooped up in a room like this all the time…?”  
    “Where’s Futaba?” Yusuke asked.  
     _Good question_ , Ryuji thought. “Where could she be hiding…?”  
    There was a soft thump from inside the closet.  
    “She’ll shut herself in to the bitter end, hm?” Yusuke said.  
    “Even with the door open, if we went into the Palace now, we’d just get stopped again,” Morgana said. “I bet a fence or something formed right in front of the Treasure now.”  
    A girl’s voice came through the closet door. “Th-This makes no sense! Explain yourselves!”    “Whoa, she talked…” Ryuji said.  
    “We needed to change your cognition,” Makoto explained. “Unless we do so, we can’t steal your heart.”  
    “I highly doubt she would understand it even if we explained it to her,” Yusuke muttered.  
    “So basically, my cognition is being a hindrance, keeping you away from the core of my cognitive world?”  
    Ann looked at the others in surprise. “Huh? She understood it?”  
    “Why do you know about that?” Makoto demanded. “Who are you?”  
    Futaba didn’t answer.  
    “Why’d you call yourself Alibaba and make things more complicated?” Ryuji asked. “If you wanted help, you could’ve just asked for it.” Futaba said something, but it was too quiet to make out. “Huh? M-My bad. I didn’t catch that.”  
    “‘Cause I was embarrassed,” Futaba said, louder this time.  
    “I think I get it,” Ann said. “Asking someone for help isn’t that easy…”  
    “Futaba,” said Makoto. “Can you tell us more? How do you know about the cognitive world?”  
    “That reminds me,” Ann said before Futaba could respond. “Boss was talking about ‘cognition’ or something before, right?”  
    Makoto looked thoughtful. “Perhaps her mother was researching this cognitive science that was mentioned?”  
    Futaba’s response came in a rush of words. “Cognitive psience with a PSI in front! Less science, more supernatural. That’s important.”  
    “Well, that certainly got her attention,” Yusuke observed.  
    “So, cognitive… psience?” Makoto said hesitantly. “Futaba, what was your mother working on? Please tell us. What happened?”  
    Silence.  
    Ryuji felt a pang of concern. “Shouldn’t we do this later? She seems to have gone through some shit in the past…”  
    Ann was deep in thought. When she spoke, her tone was serious. “Futaba-chan. Did you really kill your mother?”  
    “Whoa, you moron…!” Ryuji said.  
    Ignoring him, Ann continued to address the girl in the closet. “Wasn’t her death an accident? What actually happened?”  
    “Ann,” Yusuke said, trying to get her attention.  
    Ann pressed on. “We saw what your heart is like, but we still can’t figure anything out. The mother that Boss told us about is completely different from your cognition… We want to hear the truth. From your mouth.”  
    “M-My mom… was…” Futaba seemed to be struggling to respond. “The… one who killed her… was… Nngh…”  
    “It’s possible that she can’t remember because her heart has become distorted,” Makoto said quietly.  
    Ann’s face fell. “I’m so sorry, Futaba-chan. I, um… I’m really sorry.”  
    They were all surprised when Futaba suddenly threw open the closet door and rushed into the room, arms outstretched. “There! Now steal it!”  
    “What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?” Ryuji asked.  
    “C-C’mon, hurry it up!”  
    “We did come to steal your heart,” Makoto tried to explain, “But it’s not really done right here at this moment… All you really had to do was open that closet door.”  
    “I see,” Futaba said, embarrassed. “You said you ‘saw my heart’—does that mean you can go to the cognitive world?”  
    “Yes, that’s right,” Makoto said. “We actually use a smartphone app.”  
    “Can you take me with you?”  
    Akira shook his head.  
    “I gotta agree,” Ryuji said. “Just leave this to us. Oh yeah, almost forgot!” He pulled the calling card out of his pocket and handed it to Futaba. “Here, take this.”  
    “Hm? A calling card?” Futaba said, turning it over in her hands.  
    “Make sure you read it,” Ryuji told her. “We’ll do the rest.”

* * *

  
    Ryuji staggered back to his feet, watching as the rest of the Phantom Thieves did the same. The monster Futaba’s mind had created—a giant sphinx—was kicking their asses. The sphinx was flying out of range of their direct attacks, and it kept flying way up out of their view, then dive-bombing them.  
    “Ngh… This isn’t good,” Morgana grunted in between the sphinx’ attacks. “I can’t tell at all when it’s gonna attack…”  
    “What d’you mean you can’t tell?” Ryuji shouted. “You gotta tell us, Mona!”  
    “I-I can’t help it!” Morgana yelled back. “There are some things that even I can’t do!”    It wasn’t looking good. At this rate, they could forget about Futaba’s Treasure—they’d be lucky to escape with their lives.  
    Just when Ryuji thought they were totally doomed, Makoto gasped, “Futaba!? You came into your cognitive world!?”  
    “Mmhm,” Futaba responded. She started to walk forward, then suddenly stopped. “No,” she whimpered. She fell to her knees, hands over her ears. “It’s my fault that Mom…”  
    “That’s right!” the monster screamed, as Makoto rushed to Futaba’s side. “You killed me! I should never have birthed you! There’s no meaning to your life—no one needs you!”  
    “Nobody cares about me…” Futaba murmured. “Ngh…”  
    One eye on the sphinx, Ryuji warned, “Hey, we’re gonna be in deep shit if this keeps up!”  
    Makoto was still leaning over Futaba. “So because she thinks she killed her mother… and because she thinks she deserves to die… Futaba gave birth to a Palace where her mother wants her dead?”  
    “Futaba-chan!” Ann shouted. “There’s no way that monster is your mother! It’s just an illusion you created!”  
    “She never abused you, did she?” Makoto added. “Boss told us! He said she did her best to raise you alone!”  
    “Isn’t this a false memory that’s been imprinted upon you?” Yusuke asked.  
    “A false memory…?” Futaba said.  
    Behind them, a new voice spoke, loud and clear. “Futaba Sakura, remember!”  
    “It’s her Shadow!” Morgana exclaimed.   
    Face to face with each other, Futaba and her Shadow unraveled the lies: the suicide note was a fake. Wakaba’s death wasn’t a suicide at all, and it certainly wasn’t Futaba’s fault.  
    Futaba got to her feet. “I won’t let those distorted lies deceive me anymore,” she said. Her voice grew stronger as she continued: “And I won’t be led astray by other’s voices either. I’m going to trust my own eyes and my own heart to distinguish the truth from the lies.”  
    Shadow Futaba dissolved in a flash of light, and in the Shadow’s place, something new appeared. It looked like a flying saucer, whatever it was, and it pulled Futaba inside. Ryuji and the others were concerned, but a moment later, Futaba’s voice came out of the ship. “I’m OK! Please, help me! _That’s_ gotta go!”  
    Akira cracked a smile under his mask, and with a nod, turned back to face the sphinx. Ryuji cracked his knuckles and stepped into place beside Akira. _Time to finish this._  
  



	23. Summer Vacation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *looks at the last time this fic updated* ... Yeah, that was right before work got really crazy...
> 
> Sorry for the hiatus! I'm back with an extra-long chapter to make up for it!

23\. Summer Vacation

  
    The bell on the door rang when Ryuji entered LeBlanc. Sojiro was behind the counter, talking to Akira, who was seated opposite.   
    “She went through such horrible things,” Sojiro was saying. “Those heartless adults just yelled at the poor girl…” He looked up and saw Ryuji. “Oh, good morning. You’re here for him, I assume?”  
    “Actually, I was wondering how Futaba’s doin’,” Ryuji replied.  
    “You all sure have taken a liking to her,” Sojiro said, shaking his head in bemusement. “She’s the same as ever, no change.”  
    Ryuji sat on the chair next to Akira and whispered, “Isn’t today our deadline for taking down Medjed, though? If we don’t do somethin’, they said they were going to attack Japan!”  
    Before Akira could respond, the bell rang again.   
    “Futaba!?” Sojiro exclaimed.  
    The slim girl walked into the café as if she did so every morning. She sat on the other side of Akira and started sipping a cup of coffee. “… It’s cold,” she said. “You can’t sell this!”  
    “Huh?” Sojiro struggled to find a response. “N-Never mind that… How did you get here…?”  
    “Uh… I walked.”  
    “I’m just shocked to see you out of the house.”  
    “I’m sorry I worried you,” Futaba said.  
    Ryuji saw Sojiro wipe a tear from his eye. “Hah… It’s all right.” The older man walked away to brew some fresh coffee.  
    “I feel like I’m forgetting something…” Futaba muttered.  
    “Medjed?” Akira suggested.  
    “Oh, that’s it,” Futaba said brightly. “Let’s take care of it now. Come.”  
  
    Morgana, Ryuji and Akira followed Futaba back to Sojiro’s house. They stood there and watched as she typed away on her keyboard, completely focused.  
    “Talk about intense concentration,” Morgana said. “This room is a mess, and just waiting around is boring. Let’s clean the place up!”  
    As Futaba worked, doing whatever she was doing to take down Medjed, Ryuji and Akira took out the trash, dusted, swept the floors, and generally made the room look habitable. When they were finished, Futaba was still working. They settled in to wait for her to finish.  
    It was several hours before Futaba suddenly stretched and announced, “It’s finished.” She turned around. “Ah, it’s so clean! Why!?”  
    “We cleaned it,” Ryuji said in irritation. _Did she really not notice us cleaning her whole room?_  
    “Anyway, is it true?” Morgana asked. “Did you really take care of Medjed?”  
    “I handled them, and someone else handled my room. I don’t understand, but this is good.” Without another word, Futaba grabbed a pillow and fell asleep at her desk.  
    “I guess we’re good…?” Ryuji said.   
    “I guess so,” Akira said. “We’ll just have to watch the news to see if it worked.”

* * *

  
    “Late last night, it was discovered that someone tampered with the hacker group Medjed’s website.”  
    The Phantom Thieves were at LeBlanc the next day, waiting for precisely this news report.   
    “Hey, turn it up!” Ann said.  
    “The site’s main page now displays what is thought to be the mark belonging to the Phantom Thieves,” the report continued. “Medjed has yet to issue an official reply. Furthermore, their previously-announced ‘cleanse’ of Japan has remained unimplemented for now.”  
    “Yeah!” Ryuji exclaimed. The others grinned or laughed, sharing the excitement.  
    “What’re you all smirking about?” Sojiro asked.  
    “Er, nothin’,” answered Ryuji, at the same moment that Akira said, “Something great happened.”  
    “Well, stop it,” Sojiro replied. “You’re going to scare away my customers.”

* * *

  
    It was summer vacation, Medjed was gone, and Ryuji was happy. He’d gotten to spend a whole day with Akira—they’d gone to see a movie together, gotten food from Big Bang Burger, and played video games back in the attic at LeBlanc. Now they were relaxing together on the couch. Ryuji slipped his hand into Akira’s and sighed contentedly. _Summer vacation is the best_ , he thought.  
    Akira brought Ryuji’s hand up to his mouth and kissed his knuckles. “You’re perfect.”  
    Ryuji flushed. “You can’t keep sayin’ shit like that to me.”  
    “Why not?”  
    “...Because it’s not true.”  
    “It is true,” Akira responded. “You’re perfect.”  
    “I’m a juvenile delinquent,” Ryuji pointed out.  
    “So am I.” Akira kissed one fingertip.  
    “I’m terrible at all my schoolwork.”  
    “There are plenty of things you’re good at.” Another fingertip got a kiss.  
    “I can’t control my temper.”  
    “You’re passionate.” Another fingertip.  
    “Ugh—I’m not perfect, okay!?”  
    “You are perfect,” Akira said, and his next kiss fell on Ryuji’s lips.

* * *

  
    Since the fireworks festival had been a bust, and since they’d defeated Medjed and added Futaba to the team, the Thieves decided to celebrate with the ultimate summer vacation activity: a day at the beach.  
    Of course, first they had to help Futaba get comfortable enough around people to actually be able to go to the beach. That took up most of Akira’s time for about a week, but finally, Futaba was declared ready.  
    When Ryuji arrived at LeBlanc, Sojiro was lecturing Akira. “Futaba will be in your care today,” he was saying. “Make sure you don’t let any dudes try to hit on her.”  
    “Don’t worry,” Akira said.  
    “Yeah, don’t worry,” Ryuji agreed. “We’ll keep an eye on her.”  
    “It’s just a day trip!” Futaba protested. “Don’t underestimate me!”  
    “R-Right, sorry,” Sojiro said. “Have fun, but be careful, all right?”  
  
    A quick train ride later, and they were at the coast. Ryuji, Akira, and Yusuke headed into the men’s changing area, while the girls went to put on their swimsuits in the women’s area.  
    Somehow, Ryuji managed not to stare as Akira pulled his shirt over his head, but he couldn’t help but gape a bit when his boyfriend turned around, revealing a smooth, muscular chest.  
    “Dude, have you been workin’ out without me!?” Ryuji exclaimed.  
    Akira laughed. As he walked past Ryuji, he whispered, “You look pretty hot yourself.”  
    When the girls came out in their swimsuits, Ryuji found himself staring yet again. Ann took one look at his face and burst out laughing. She slung an arm around his shoulders. “Have a better opinion of me now, huh?” she teased.  
    After dealing with a minor Futaba setback—she had come out of the changing area with a towel wrapped completely around her head—they went to stake out a spot on the crowded beach.  
    “So, whadda we do now?” Ryuji asked. “Should we play some beach volleyball?”  
    “Oh, sorry,” Ann replied. “Us girls already made plans to ride a banana boat.”  
    “We could only rent a three-person one,” Makoto explained.  
    “Wait… Then what about us?” protested Ryuji.  
    “Keep an eye on our stuff!” Ann said cheerfully.  
    “Hell no!” Ryuji told her. “Why you gotta treat us like that!? We’re celebrities makin’ headlines! You should treat us better!”  
    Makoto exchanged a look with Ann. “I do think they’re not bad in the Metaverse, but in reality… Strange, isn’t it?”  
    “They can steal treasures, but they don’t seem like they can steal a girl’s heart at all,” Ann agreed.  
    “But… Lady Ann…” Morgana protested, but Ryuji was too busy smirking to himself. _I’m not so bad at stealing hearts_ , he thought.  
    “Can we get to the banana boat already?” Futaba asked.  
    “Sorry. We’ll go now,” Makoto told her.  
    Ann waved as they walked away. “We’ll switch when we’re done. Keep an eye on our stuff for us!”  
    “Ugh. I don’t wanna stay here’n watch their stuff,” Ryuji told Akira. “Let’s go walk around. Morgana, you can keep an eye on everything.”  
    “Me!?” the cat protested. “Don’t leave me here!”  
    “Taking a walk does sound pleasant,” Yusuke said. “Let us go.”  
     _Dammit, I was hoping to get some one-on-one time with Akira._  
    “Y’know,” Ryuji reflected as they meandered between umbrellas and beach towels, “Bein’ Phantom Thieves, we probably give off some amazing vibes. Everybody on this beach ought to appreciate us. We’re risking our lives fighting bad guys, after all.”  
    “You’re full of yourself,” Akira said, but he was smiling.  
    “Eh, you’re just not appreciatin’ how cool it is to be a Phantom Thief.”  
    They walked around the beach, but nobody was recognizing their Phantom Thieves ‘vibes,’ so Ryuji got bored before long. He sighed. “I dunno… the ocean just looks kinda bland to me.”  
    “Hm,” Yusuke interrupted. “I’ve sensed a presence staring at us for some time now. Are we being followed?”  
    Akira and Ryuji both looked around. Sure enough, two men were walking toward them. “Look at those lovely boys!” one said. “They look like they’re just begging to be hit on!”  
    Ryuji was shocked to realize it was the same two men from outside the club in Shinjuku, what seemed like ages ago now.  
    They also seemed to recognize Ryuji. “Oh my! I can’t believe we’ve been reunited in such a stunning place!”  
    “Smells like destiny to me,” agreed his companion.  
    Ryuji felt a blush spreading from his cheeks down to his chest. _This again? It’s just like Shinjuku._ The last time the two gay men had hit on them, it had led to his and Akira’s only fight. Ryuji really didn’t want a repeat of that experience.  
    But Akira was already speaking. “Leave him alone.”  
    “Ohh, you’re no fun. We’re the fashion police, and you have to answer our questions!”  
    Akira shook his head. “We’re not interested. Go have your fun somewhere else.”  
    The man in heart-patterned trunks feigned shock. “Resisting the fashion police! We’ll have to place you under arrest!”   
    Akira leveled his most serious gaze at the two men. “I told you, we aren’t interested.”  
    “C’mon,” Ryuji said, grabbing his friend’s hand. “Let’s just get out of here.”  
    “Oh ho!” said the second man. “Now I see. You’re not interested in _us_. Your hearts are already spoken for!”  
    Ryuji wasn’t sure if it was possible for him to blush any harder, but his body seemed determined to find out. It felt like a thousand thoughts were whirling around in his head, telling him to drop Akira’s hand, telling him to run, telling him to punch something.  
    Akira squeezed his hand. Ryuji met his boyfriend’s eyes. “Let’s go,” Akira said quietly. To the two men, in a firmer tone he said, “Don’t follow us.”  
      
    Once they were out of sight of the two men, Ryuji finally felt like he could relax. He glanced at Akira. “Thanks for sticking up for me,” he said.  
    “Don’t worry about it,” Akira replied. “Nobody gets to harass my boyfriend.”  
    Ryuji blushed again. A thought suddenly occurred to him: “By the way, where’s Yusuke?”  
    At that moment, their friend walked up, holding… _Are those lobsters!?_ “So this is where you two were,” he said, calmly. “I’ve been searching for you.”  
    “Uh, what’re you doin’ with those lobsters…?”  
    “While you were busy with your interrogation, I found these beautiful specimens on sale. And so, I decided to spend the last of my money on them.”  
    Ryuji stared at him. “You’re real hopeless when it comes to cash… Hey, wait! You were watchin’ us!?” _How much did Yusuke see? How much did he hear!?_  
    “I was entranced,” Yusuke replied, staring at the lobsters in his hands. “The moment I set eyes on this distinct shape, I was in love. I haven’t had my very core shaken as vigorously as this since the first time Ann entered my gaze.”  
    Akira and Ryuji shared a look. Ryuji wasn’t sure Yusuke would notice if the two kissed right in front of him.  
    “Let’s go back and find the girls,” Akira suggested.  
  
    Later, as the sun set over the ocean, the group began to pack up and head home.  
    “Hey, Futaba. We’re goin’ home,” Ryuji called. “Stop standin’ around and come help us!”  
    Futaba crouched down by the water, staring at the surf. The rest of the group gathered around her.  
    “You know, I never thought the Phantom Thieves would take such risks for me. I didn’t think you’d worry about me so much. I’m sorry that I acted like I doubted you guys…” Futaba fell silent for a moment. “I have a request: let me join your team.”  
    “There’s nothin’ to join,” said Ryuji. “You’re already one of us.”  
    “I’ll be honest,” Futaba told them. “Changing people’s hearts isn’t my goal. I want to learn what _really_ happened to my mom… The reason why she was killed.”  
    “Killed?” Yusuke asked.  
    “It was written in her notes,” Futaba replied. “Should the self in the cognitive world die, the self in the real world would lose consciousness…”  
    “Is this about mental shutdowns?” Ryuji asked.  
    Yusuke looked thoughtful. “Then the criminal Kaneshiro mentioned…”  
    “Yes, that could be the case,” Makoto agreed.  
    “She was killed by someone,” Futaba insisted. “And her research was treated like it never existed. And that’s why I wanna join you. It’s a super-personal reason… Is that okay? Or would I just be dead weight?”  
    “If anything, you’re dependable,” Ryuji told her. “Ain’t that right, Mona?”  
    “Why are you looking at me?” Morgana demanded. “Are you trying to say I’m inadequate?”  
    “Well, she was more useful than you, as a matter of fact.”  
    “That’s inexcusable!”  
    While Morgana and Ryuji kept spitting insults at each other, the rest of the group debated Futaba’s Phantom Thief code name. They settled on Oracle, and then it was finally time to leave the beach and head home.


	24. Hawaii

24\. Hawaii

  
    Ryuji grabbed his bag off the scanner and started sprinting towards the airline gate. _Crap, crap, crap… I’m gonna miss our flight. Why’d I wait until the last minute to pack!?_  
    Fortunately, when he got to the gate, he saw Makoto, Ann, and Akira all standing together. “I wasn’t expectin’ to make a mad dash like this…” he wheezed.  
    “Coming late even on a day like this?” chided Ann.  
    “That’s all you’re bringing?” Makoto asked.  
    Ryuji frowned. “Well, it’s only four nights, right? Ain’t it enough?”  
    “It’ll be fun either way,” Akira said peaceably.  
    “Yeah, that!” Ryuji agreed.  
    Before they went to line up at the gate, Ann suggested they take a group picture. The four students all clustered together, and Akira took the picture.  
    Immediately, a text from Futaba appeared on Akira’s phone.  
  
>>F: Ryuji, you’ve got crap in your eyes…  
  
    Ryuji rubbed his face. Sure enough, there was dust in the corners of his eyes. “Holy shit, she’s right…”  
    “How could you tell, Futaba?” Ann wondered.  
  
>>F: You surprised?  
>>F: I snuck an app on Akira’s phone.  
>>F: I can see all I want through his camera!  
  
    “Talk about a nasty trick…” Ryuji said. Silently, he made a mental note to tell Akira to put his phone in a drawer or something if they were doing anything romantic.  
    “I am _so_ glad she’s not an enemy of ours,” Makoto said emphatically.  
    The rest of the group nodded their agreement, and headed for the gate.

* * *

  
    “Aw, yeah, I am so pumped! Hawaii, here we come!” Ryuji had slept for a couple hours on the plane, and now he was feeling refreshed and excited. He jostled Akira’s shoulder. “This is gonna be so much fun!”  
    Akira continued looking out the window of the plane, seemingly lost in thought. Ryuji bumped their knees together gently. “What’s up?”  
    Akira turned toward his boyfriend and said, “I don’t know. Morgana seemed upset before I left.”  
    “Prob’ly just jealous he doesn’t get to go to Hawaii, right?” Ryuji suggested. Akira didn’t seem convinced. “I’m sure he’ll be back to his usual self when we get home.”  
    “Yeah,” Akira said half-heartedly.  
    Before Ryuji could say anything else, the flight attendant came over the speakers to say that they were starting their descent into Hawaii. Excited again, Ryuji leaned past Akira to look out the window, where the island was coming into view.  
  
    After going through customs, they entered the warm, tropical air of Hawaii. A man wearing a lei directed them to their bus.  
    “Daaamn, you speak Japanese?” Ryuji exclaimed, as Ann sighed in exasperation.  
    On the bus, Ryuji found more things to be excited about. “Whoa, I see it! The diamond thing! Oh man, the ocean is so blue!” He kept pointing out everything that got his attention, Akira smiling indulgently all the while.  
  
    At the hotel, they had to figure out room assignments.  
    “We can’t go out until we get our keys,” Ann reminded them.  
    “I wanna room with Akira!” Ryuji declared. They were best friends, after all. Who would think it was weird?  
    Just then, Ms. Kawakami walked up. “You belong to a different class, Sakamoto-kun.”  
    “I can’t?” he asked, disappointed.  
    “It complicates roll call,” Makoto told him.  
    “Everyone butts you out, after all,” Ann teased. “I bet there aren’t many people who’d be okay rooming with you.”  
    “Shuddup, we both stick out like a sore thumb,” he shot back.  
    Naturally, at that moment, two girls from Kawakami’s class approached Ann to ask if she wanted to room with them, and if she’d walk around with them. Ryuji hung his head in defeat and went to go find a roommate from his own class.

* * *

  
    Being in Hawaii wasn’t very different from being in Japan. Ryuji, Akira, Ann, and Makoto were still hanging out together. They were still on their phones all the time. Mishima was still going on and on about the Phan-site. They got food at Big Bang Burger. Even Yusuke managed to show up, after his school trip couldn’t land in LA.  
    Ryuji felt disappointed. This trip was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it was turning out so… ordinary.  
  
    The second night of their stay, Ryuji was sitting in his hotel room, reading an article about the Phantom Thieves on his phone, when his roommate—a guy named Ren—came in with a girl in tow. They seemed surprised that the room was occupied.  
    “Oh, hey, Sakamoto,” Ren said. “Listen, d’you think you could… give us some privacy?”  
   _Am I seriously getting kicked out of my own hotel room_ , Ryuji thought.  
    “For real? Where am I supposed to go?”  
    “I don’t know, man,” Ren answered. “Just do me a solid, okay?”  
    So Ryuji headed down the hallway to Akira and Mishima’s room, figuring they’d let him crash on the couch.  
    “Yo,” he said when Mishima let him in. “The guy I’m roomin’ with went and brought his girlfriend back to the room. Basically kicked me out. I’m just gonna sleep here tonight.”  
    “Even though there are only two beds?” Mishima asked.  
     _I wouldn’t mind sharing with Akira_ , Ryuji's brain supplied, but he quickly silenced that thought.  
    There was another knock at the door, and Mishima went to open it—this time, Ann walked in.  
    “The girl I was sharing a room with took off to her boyfriend’s room!” Ann announced.  
    “I know that feelin’!” Ryuji said.  
    “And she took the key!” Ann continued. “I stepped outside for just a second, and the auto-lock kicked in. I can’t get back in my room!” Ann checked the time on her phone. “It’ll be too much hassle for me to go anywhere else. I’ll just sleep in here tonight.”  
    Ryuji jumped to his feet. If rooming with Akira was his first choice, and sleeping in the room with Akira and Mishima was an acceptable alternative, then sharing a room with Akira, Mishima, _and Ann_ was definitely at the bottom of the list. “Wait, what?” Ryuji asked. “I dunno if that’s a good idea.”  
    “Don’t worry,” Ann said. “I trust you guys.”  
    “There are only two beds,” Mishima pointed out. “Even if someone sleeps on the sofa…”  
    “One of us is gonna have to sleep on the floor,” Ryuji finished. “So who’s that gonna be?” He spotted a deck of cards. “Oh hey, playing cards. Let’s use these to decide!”  
      
    A few rounds of poker later, and Ryuji was stretched out on the floor. Akira was on the sofa, and Ann was in one of the beds. Mishima had won the other spot in a bed, but he was in the bathroom.  
    The lights were off, and Ryuji was starting to drift off to sleep, when he heard Ann murmur, “The school trip… Shiho was really looking forward to this…”  
    Ryuji sat up. “Ann…”  
    “Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to bring the mood down. It’s already been almost six months since then, hasn’t it? This all feels so strange.”  
    “Right?” Ryuji said. “Hard to believe the rowdy kids at school are now famous all over the world.”  
    “Don’t you think we still have a lot to learn about each other though?” Ann asked. “You know, things like what kind of people we like… So, time to come clean, Ryuji.”  
    “Me!?” Ryuji exclaimed. This conversation was turning into a nightmare. “Uhhh, well…” _Think, Ryuji!_ “I like… girls… um, I like girls who’re kind. She has to have a good personality. Someone who’s loyal to their friends.”  
    “What about if two girls with equally good personalities confessed to you at the same time?” Ann pressed.  
     _This has got to be a bad dream,_ Ryuji thought. “Well, if they were equally nice? Then… I’d pick the one with prettier eyes.”  
    “So looks are what’s most important to you,” she said.  
    “What!?” Ryuji replied. “How is that fair!?”  
    “Your first answer was just superficial. The second answer was your true beliefs,” Ann declared.  
    “That ain’t fair!”  
    Ann ignored Ryuji. “What about you, Akira? C’mon, spill the beans. What kind of girl is your type?”  
    Akira seemed to think for a long moment. Then, with a smirk Ryuji could _hear_ through the darkness, he said, “I prefer blondes.”  
    “Gross,” Ann said. “I expected better from you.”  
    “Well, we answered honestly,” Ryuji told Ann. “It’s your turn next. So, what kinda guy do you—” Before he could finish the question, they heard a horrible noise from the bathroom.  
    “That doesn’t sound good,” Ann said.  
    “Y’know, wasn’t he drinkin’ the tap water earlier? That’s like, the _one_ thing you’re not supposed to do when you’re out of the country!”

* * *

  
    “Our trip is almost over,” Mishima declared the next morning, having apparently recovered from his food poisoning the night before. “Today is our last full day in Hawaii.”  
    “Dammit,” Ryuji complained, “This isn’t how stuff was supposed to go!”  
    “What do you mean?” Mishima asked.  
    “We ended up walkin’ around same as we always do in Japan… It’s like we never left!”  
    “Whine all you’d like,” Mishima told him, “But that’s what the trip was supposed to be.”  
    “But weren’t some other guys gettin’ all cozy with their girlfriends or some shit?” he responded. _I came all the way to Hawaii with my boyfriend and didn’t get any romantic moments!_ “That’s what this trip is missin’!”  
    “What are we going to do?” Mishima asked.  
    “I dunno about you,” Ryuji said. “I’m gonna make a once-in-a-lifetime summer memory!” _And ditching Mishima is the first step to making that happen,_ he told himself, walking away.  
  
>>R: Hey, give Mishima some excuse and come meet me.  
>>AK: Where?  
>>R: The beach, under those big palm trees.  


* * *

  
    Ryuji grinned when he saw Akira walking toward him in his swim trunks. “Our last day in Hawaii!”  
    “Let’s enjoy it, then.”  
    “Hell yeah! C’mon, let’s walk down the beach.”  
    The two walked down the hot sand in comfortable silence, enjoying the sound of the surf. A little ways down the beach, they came across a food truck.  
    “Garlic shrimp, huh?” Ryuji looked at Akira. “Wanna give it a try?”  
    “Sure,” Akira agreed.  
  
    Ryuji couldn’t remember ever being this perfectly content. He and Akira were sitting side-by-side, watching the sun set into the wide ocean, staining the clouds pink, purple, and orange. He sighed happily.  
    From somewhere, they could hear a radio playing some American song. Ryuji could just make out the words.  
     _“Where d’you wanna go? How much you wanna risk? I’m not looking for somebody with some superhuman gifts… Some superhero, some fairytale bliss. Just something I can turn to, somebody I can kiss. I want something just like this.”_  
    Further down the beach, he could see a couple walking hand in hand. They stopped to admire the sunset, then shared a slow kiss.  
    When Ryuji turned back to Akira, he was surprised at the intensity in his gaze. Akira glanced down at Ryuji’s lips, then deliberately back up to meet his eyes. Ryuji’s mouth went dry.  
   _“I want something just like this… Oh, I want something just like this…”_  
    It was nearly a perfect moment. There was just one thing that could make it better.  
    His voice low and warm, Ryuji began, “Akira…”  
    Akira’s eyes didn’t waver. “Just kiss me already.”  
    And so Ryuji did.


	25. Trouble Brewing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments, they make my day!

25\. Trouble Brewing

  
    They’d only been back from Hawaii for a day, but already the Phantom Thieves were meeting. Before the school trip, Makoto had copied data off her sister’s laptop. Futaba had finished analyzing the data while the rest of the Thieves were in Hawaii.   
    Even before the data, they had a more pressing concern. While they’d been gone, the principle of Shujin had been hit by a truck and killed. Some people were speculating it was suicide. Others were saying the Phantom Thieves were responsible.  
    “People think he killed himself because a tabloid revealed that he was covering up Kamoshida’s abuses,” Yusuke told the group when they gathered in the attic of LeBlanc.  
    Ann seemed troubled. “Could it be that… we’re responsible for Principle Kobayakawa’s suicide?”  
    “Whaddya mean?” Ryuji asked. _No way this is our fault. We were in Hawaii the whole time!_  
    “If we hadn’t changed Kamoshida’s heart,” she replied, “Maybe this never would have happened…”  
    “But then Kamoshida woulda kept abusing students if we didn’t go and take him down,” Ryuji retorted. “Eff that.”  
    “There’s a lot of opinions online,” Futaba said, without looking up from her laptop. “‘It’s only natural that he died,’ ‘Covering up crimes is wrong.’”  
    Yusuke nodded. “The comments I’ve seen are similar as well. ‘Only the Phantom Thieves are on our side!’ It seems like the public would rather believe in us than in the adults.”  
    “There’s even Phantom Thieves merchandise now,” Ann added. “I never expected we’d end up such a big deal.”  
    “People are trying to get the Phantom Thieves to solve societal problems, not just personal ones,” Yusuke said.  
    “This is kinda scary,” Ann said.  
    Makoto looked serious. “Are we really doing the right thing…?”  
    Even Ryuji felt hesitant. The Phantom Thieves merch was awesome, as far as he was concerned, but if people were going to blame them for murder…? That was not cool.  
    Morgana cleared his throat, or did the closest cat equivalent of it. “Guys, let’s get back on topic. Weren’t we going to discuss the data we obtained from Niijima?”  
    “You tell them, Inari…” Futaba said.  
    “Why me?” asked Yusuke, but he stepped over to the laptop and began to summarize. “Prosecutor Niijima has been looking into the continued cases of people suddenly collapsing. It seems she is searching for a common thread to tie them all together. Some parts of her research seem to be speculation, but she has cited a beneficiary of the majority of these incidents: the corporation Okumura Foods. More prominently, its CEO, Kunikazu Okumura.”  
    Ryuji looked at the others. “Okumura… why’s that name sound so familiar…?”  
    “Big Bang Burger,” Yusuke explained.   
    “This is too suspicious,” Morgana said definitively. “Only one CEO is profiting from these seemingly accidental incidents. I think it’s natural to suspect he’s intentionally causing them.”  
    “But still…” Makoto said, sounding cautious.  
    “We have even more evidence than that,” declared Morgana. “Tell them, Futaba.”      
    “I already tried putting Okumura’s name in the Nav. He has a Palace for sure.”  
    Ryuji had heard enough. _He’s connected to the mental shutdowns, and he has a Palace? What more do we need to know!?_ “That settles it then! He’s totally our next target!”   
    “Okumura is at the top of the rankings on the Phan-site,” Morgana pointed out.  
    “Even better!” Ryuji exclaimed. “We take down a bad dude _and_ he’s the top of the rankings. People’ll love that!”  
    “Hold on,” Yusuke cautioned. “That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s evil. If we jump into this too carelessly…”  
    “There’s this Phantom Thieves fad, too,” added Ann. “The excitement levels don’t feel normal. We might want to let things calm down a bit first.”  
    “You too, Ann!?” Ryuji said, frustrated. “You’re just gonna go against what people want!?”  
    “Huh? No, but…”  
    The group fell silent.  
    “For real…?” Ryuji asked. _Why’s everybody gettin’ cold feet all of a sudden?_  
    Futaba tried to break the tension. “L-Looks like we’re not gonna agree today then…”  
    Morgana wasn’t finished, though. “Sheesh, some team you are. What’s with all the hesitation! I can’t stand this!” The cat glared at Ryuji. “Even you, Ryuji! You just back down the second someone disagrees with you!”  
    “…What?” Ryuji’s voice was harsh with anger.  
    “I guess you just want fame anyway. Being hyped up because of the popularity is fine, but getting conceited over it is unacceptable.”  
    “Hey,” he snapped. “Aren’t you actin’ for your own benefit here too?”  
    “My appearance may have changed, but I’m still an admirable human! At the very least, I’m more admirable than some self-obsessed blond monkey!”  
     _Self-obsessed!?_ “Why you little—!”  
    Morgana flipped his tail dismissively. “Fine. I can take on some small-time target like Okumura on my own. Sorry, but it looks like I’ll be getting the credit for solving the mental shutdown mystery.” To Ryuji, he added, “I’m going to show you who the useless one actually is!”  
    “All right then! Bring it on!”  
    “Ryuji, stop!” Ann interjected.  
    Ignoring Ann, Ryuji told Morgana, “We don’t need you, anyway.”  
    Morgana looked away. “Looks like I don’t belong here after all…”  
    “Both of you, calm down!” Akira said, but blood was pounding in Ryuji’s ears and made him deaf to his boyfriend’s plea.  
    “This is goodbye,” Morgana declared. “See you.”  
    “Morgana, wait!” exclaimed Ann.  
    After the cat disappeared down the stairs, Ryuji scuffed a foot on the floor. “I bet he’s back in no time.” He glanced up at the rest of the Thieves, but found only cold, serious faces.  
    “I need to get home,” Makoto said. She looked at Akira. “Let’s meet up again tomorrow after school.”  
    “Yeah, I should go, too,” agreed Ann.  
    One by one, each of the Phantom Thieves left the attic, giving Akira apologetic or sympathetic looks as they went, until only Ryuji and Akira were left.  
  
    “You know he’ll be back by tomorrow,” Ryuji told Akira. Akira just stared at the floor. “C’mon, he just needs to blow off some steam, this’ll all be fine.” Still nothing. Ryuji joked lamely, “What’s the problem, cat got your tongue?”   
    “Dammit, Ryuji!” Akira snapped.  
    Ryuji took a step back in shock. He was the angry one—Akira was always so calm by comparison. But now his boyfriend was clearly, undeniably angry. It felt wrong. Twisted. All of a sudden, Ryuji’s heart was pounding, his stomach in knots. He needed to make this situation, this dynamic, go away. So he used the only tool he’d ever known: get angrier. “What the hell, Akira! What’re you blamin’ _me_ for!?”  
    “Why did you have to be such a jerk?” Akira demanded. “Ann told you to lay off, but you just couldn’t leave it alone, and now Morgana’s _gone_ because of you!”  
    Guilt bloomed in Ryuji’s chest, but he buried it under another wave of anger. “ _He_ decided to leave. That’s not my fault! And why the hell’re you takin’ his side, anyway!?”  
    “ _His side?_ ” Akira shot back. “Since when do we have sides!? Did you ever think that maybe I care about _all_ of my friends, not just you!?”  
    Ryuji turned away, shame and frustration and fear all whirling in his chest, suffocating him. “Goddammit!” he snarled, one hand striking out blindly. It connected with the bookcase, rattling all the knick-knacks Akira had arranged there. The sound startled him out of the whirlwind for a moment. He had to make this right. “Akira...”  
    “Just go,” Akira snapped. “I don’t want to talk to you right now.”  
    Ryuji froze. The words echoed inside his head. _Just go... Just go... I don’t want to talk to you... I don’t want you..._ He couldn’t breathe—all the air had gone out of the room. And so he fled.

* * *

  
    Ryuji ran. He ran until his legs burned, until his breathing was ragged, until the cramp in his side forced him to stop. He looked around at the unfamiliar buildings. In his pocket, his phone buzzed.  
  
>>AK: Ryuji  
>>AK: Are you there?  
>>AK: Please answer me.  
  
    Ryuji stared at the messages for a moment. His thumbs hovered over the keyboard as he debated what to say in response. Then, with a frustrated noise, he pocketed his phone again and starting walking.

* * *

  
>>AK: Makoto, I screwed up.  
>>M: What do you mean?  
>>AK: I lost my temper and yelled at Ryuji.  
>>AK: Now I don’t know where he is. He’s not answering his phone or chat.  
>>AK: I’m worried.  
>>M: I’m sure we’ll find him.  
>>M: Morgana, too.  
>>AK: Makoto...  
>>AK: Is this the end of the Phantom Thieves?  
 >>M: …  
  
Akira stared at those three dots, waiting for Makoto’s response. His hands were shaking as he clutched his phone. He tried to figure out how everything had gone so wrong, so quickly. He was afraid this storm had been brewing for a while, and he just hadn’t seen it until it was too late.  
  
>>M: The Phantom Thieves aren’t done yet.  
>>M: We still have to find the culprit behind the mental shutdowns.  
>>AK: Do you really think we can?  
>>M: You’re our leader. Everyone trusts you to see us through.  
>>M: I’ll talk to the others and see if anyone has heard from Ryuji. Let’s meet at LeBlanc tomorrow.


	26. Thieves Divided

26\. Thieves Divided

  
     _Screw ‘em_ , Ryuji thought bitterly. _They never wanted me around, anyway_. Even in the darkest, angriest part of his mind, he knew this wasn’t true. He’d messed up, and he desperately wanted to go back to Akira and make things right again.  
    But Akira had told him to go. _‘I don’t want to talk to you.’_ The one place Ryuji most wanted to be, and he’d been sent away. Even if he saw Akira again, he wouldn’t know what to say, how to apologize.  
    There was one thing he could do, one chance to patch things up and make everything okay. _If I can just find Mona, then Akira’ll forgive me._ Based on the fight they’d had before the cat-creature left, Ryuji was pretty sure Morgana would be trying to tackle Okumura’s Palace. Which was why Ryuji was currently standing around the corner from the headquarters of Okumura Foods, his cell phone in his hand.  
     _Restaurant… Theme Park… Board Room…_ He sucked at figuring out the key words for the Palaces, but eventually he got it. The MetaNav got a hit, and with that familiar feeling of vertigo, Ryuji was in.  
    The Palace was a space ship, populated by robots. Ryuji managed to sneak his way around, but he came up against a door that required some kind of clearance to open. As he was trying to figure out how he might get past the obstacle, he heard an alarm sound.  
    “Intruder!” yelled the robot who had spotted him. “Intruder! You will be eliminated!”  
    Ryuji fought hard. He fought with his spiked baseball bat and his Persona’s attacks, and he was able to take a couple of the robots down, but there were too many of them and only one of him.  
     _Shit_ , he thought, realizing he was hopelessly outnumbered. One of the robots leveled its arm at him and fired some kind of blaster. It caught Ryuji in the shoulder, knocking him back. He fell to the ground. Above him, the harsh lights faded to black. _Akira, I’m sorry…_

* * *

  
    Futaba was waiting in the café the next morning when Akira came downstairs.  
    “Did Mona come home last night?” she asked.  
    Akira shook his head. There had been no sign of the cat, and no response from Ryuji, either.  
    “I kinda just expected he’d come home when he got hungry…” Futaba said. As Akira prepared to leave, she added, “Hey, come home straight after school so we can wait for Mona together, okay?”  
    “Okay,” Akira agreed.  
  
    When Akira returned to LeBlanc that afternoon, there was still no sign of Morgana. Futaba pulled out her phone to text the group.  
  
>>F: Morgana’s still not back.  
>>AT: Huh? He hasn’t come home yet?  
>>F: The food’s still in his bowl.  
>>M: He’s a cat, so it’s possible he got into an accident…  
>>Y: Does he really seem to be the type who would go off and die on us like that though?  
>>AK: Ryuji wasn’t at school today, either.  
>>AT: I hope everything’s okay…  
  
    A news report started on the café TV. “Late last night, multiple glass windows were found shattered at the Okumura Foods Corporate HQ. Other damages have also been reported, including the destruction of a statue depicting Mr. Okumura.”  
    Sojiro grunted. “Huh… Wonder if someone’s got a grudge against that guy…”  
    “However,” the reporter continued, “There were no signs of a break-in. Identifying the culprit is expected to be difficult.”  
  
>>F: Somebody broke in at Okumura Foods lat night.  
>>F: You think Mona charged in there by himself?  
>>AK: It’s possible.  
>>M: Morgana went into Okumura’s Palace?  
>>F: He did say he’d go alone.  
>>AT: Does that mean he’s in danger?  
>>Y: The chances of that are highly likely.  
>>F: Yeah. We should all go in after him.  
>>M: We still need to find Ryuji, too.  
>>M: I’d prefer a little more caution, but this is an emergency…  
>>F: Then we’ll go tomorrow.

* * *

  
    “Watch out!” Makoto shouted. Akira dodged the incoming attack before shouting for one of his Personas to defeat the Shadow. The Phantom Thieves were slowly making progress through the Palace, though the robot Shadows were proving challenging. Yusuke’s attacks were useless against them, and with the team missing Morgana and Ryuji, it was slow going.  
    Still, Akira was tireless. There had been no sign of either of their missing teammates. Ryuji had missed the past two days of school. Akira was nearly out of his mind with worry, and their only lead was the suspicion that Morgana or Ryuji—or both—had come into Okumura’s Palace.  
    There were signs that the Palace had already been infiltrated by someone. The robots seemed to be on high alert. _Come on, Ryuji…_ Akira thought. _Please be okay_.  
    “Hm? Did you hear that?” Yusuke asked, in a lull between battles. The group had entered a large room with a sealed door and no apparent way forward.  
    “Hear what?” Ann replied.  
    “I thought I heard something over there,” Yusuke said. He pointed in the direction of the crates stacked against the walls.  
    The rest of the Thieves listened. Sure enough, they could hear labored breathing coming from behind some of the boxes.  
    Akira rushed forward. Pushing one crate aside, he squeezed through the gap and looked behind the other boxes…  
    Ryuji had tucked himself into a tiny space, out of view of the patrolling Shadows. His face was bruised and bloody. One of his wrists was swollen and purple. He was only semi-conscious.  
    “Ryuji,” Akira gasped. He fell to his knees next to his boyfriend, code names forgotten. “Please—Please tell me you’re okay.”  
    “…Akira?” Ryuji said, his voice raspy. “Is that you?” He tried to peer through one black eye.  
    “Yeah, it’s me. I’m here. I’m here now.”  
    Ryuji grimaced. “I’m sorry, man, I shouldn’t’ve—”  
    “Forget about that,” Akira replied. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you’re safe.” He realized that ‘safe’ was perhaps an overstatement. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. Can you stand?”  
    “I wanted to find Mona,” whispered Ryuji. “I couldn’t find ‘im… I’m useless.”  
    “We’ll find him,” Akira insisted. “We’ll find him together, okay? Let’s just get you out of here, first.” He turned to the rest of the Thieves, his expression desperate. Ann stepped forward, while Yusuke and Makoto kept watch.  
    “Hey Skull,” Ann said. “Lemme fix you up, okay?”  
    Ryuji nodded, too tired to protest any more.

* * *

  
    Injuries sustained in the Metaverse didn’t show up in the real world, which meant Ryuji didn’t have a black eye and a broken wrist when they left Okumura’s Palace. But he had still been missing for two days, and gone without sleep or food that whole time, which is why Akira insisted on walking him home.  
    “‘M fine,” Ryuji tried to protest.  
    “You’re exhausted. Just tell me your address,” Akira responded.  
    Half an hour later, Akira helped his friend up the stairs to his small apartment.  
    “Be quiet, okay? My mom might be asleep if she’s not at work.” Leaning against Akira for support, Ryuji fumbled for his key. He turned it in the lock, but the door swung open before he could give it a push. On the other side of the threshold was his mom. The family relationship was obvious—she was shorter than him, with a round face and hair that was its natural black, but their eyes were the same brown.  
    With a sob, she grabbed Ryuji and pull him into her arms, her face in his shoulder. “Where have you been!?” she choked.  
    Akira bowed deeply to her. “Forgive me, Sakamoto-san. It’s my fault.”  
    She looked across the threshold at Akira for a moment, then wordlessly gestured for him to come inside.  
    Ryuji and Akira sat on the sofa, while his mom sat in a chair. Ryuji cleared his throat to break the silence. “Mom, this is my friend Akira. Akira, this is my mom… Himari Sakamoto.”  
    Akira bobbed his head in greeting.  
    “Akira,” she said. “Tell me. Why did you say it was your fault that my son has been missing for two days?”  
    “Ryuji and I had… a fight.” Akira glanced at his friend, who was staring at the ground. “I lost my temper. I shouldn’t have done that.” Ryuji picked up on the subtext—Akira was apologizing for their argument.  
    “It wasn’t your fault,” Ryuji said, still staring at his feet. After a long moment, he raised his eyes to his mother’s. “I shouldn’t have run off, Mom. I’m sorry for worrying you.”  
    She looked from Ryuji to Akira and back. “I’m just glad you’re safe,” she said, finally. “Ryuji, you look tired. Why don’t you get some rest?”  
    “Okay.” Ryuji turned to Akira. “Let’s talk tomorrow?”  
    Akira nodded and stood. “It was nice to meet you, Sakamoto-san.”  
    “It was nice to meet you as well,” she replied. “Thank you for bringing Ryuji home safe.”


	27. Thieves Reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for the comments, they're wonderful encouragement!

27\. Thieves Reunited

  
    After letting Ryuji take some time to recover, the Thieves reentered Okumura’s Palace, trying to find signs of Morgana. They didn’t progress very far before reaching a door with a biometric scanner they couldn’t bypass.  
    “This is the same door that stopped me when I was here before,” Ryuji told the others.  
    “Look at it… There’s no way we can force that thing open,” Ann said.  
    “Will we have to control the real Okumura’s cognition to pass?” asked Yusuke.  
    “Oh, that means Mona hasn’t been able to proceed any further either,” Makoto pointed out. “So if he’s here in the Palace, he would have to be somewhere before this door.”  
    Just then, someone called out: “Halt, vigilante!”  
    Surprised, the Phantom Thieves turned to see who had spoken. It seemed to be a young woman. She was wearing fancy clothes, a hat with a feather plume, and a black mask. Beside her was Morgana.  
    “Mona!” Futaba called.  
    “You’re okay!” Ann added.  
    “Long time, no see, Panther,” Morgana replied. “If you came for the Treasure, you should just go home with your tail between your legs.”  
    “Actually, we were looking for you,” Yusuke told the cat.  
    Morgana ignored him. “The Treasure will be taken by me and this… Beauty Thief!”  
    “Beauty Thief?” Makoto said, skeptically.  
    “I’ll have you know, she’s a Persona user, too.” Morgana declared. “Anyway, we don’t have time to chat.”  
    Morgana and the “Beauty Thief” walked over to the locked door.  
    “No point, it won’t open,” Ryuji told them.  
    The scanner made a beeping noise and the door slid open. “Don’t underestimate us,” Morgana said, and they were gone.

* * *

  
    “I knew it,” Makoto exclaimed, her finger landing on the yearbook page. “Haru Okumura, the daughter of the CEO of Okumura Foods. She’s a third-year here at Shujin.”  
    “So Okumura’s daughter is a student here?” Ann replied. “What does that have to do with Morgana?”  
    “The Beauty Thief was able to open the door with the biometric scanner inside Okumura’s Palace,” Makoto explained. “It would make sense if she’s a member of Okumura’s family. Then I remembered seeing her name on a class roster.”  
    “She does look like the Beauty Thief,” Ann said. “Especially the fluffy hair.”  
    Ryuji cracked his knuckles. “Okay, so now we know Beauty Thief is actually Haru Okumura. Let’s go confront her!”   
    “Let’s see what she has to say,” Akira agreed.  
  
    By coincidence, when Ryuji and Akira were leaving school that day, they saw Haru trying to move a load of gardening soil. Exchanging a look with Akira, Ryuji stepped forward.  
    “Hey, d’you need a hand with that?”  
    She seemed surprised by the question. “Oh! Would you happen to be interested in gardening?”  
    “A little,” Akira answered.  
    “Yeah, want some help?” added Ryuji.  
    “Really? In that case…” Haru glanced at the bags of soil. “If you could help me unload this?”  
    Between the two of them, it didn’t take long to move the soil where Haru wanted it.   
    “Boys sure are strong,” she said when they finished. “Thank you. You’re second-years, aren’t you? That makes me just a tad older.” She hesitated. “Have we met somewhere before…?”  
    “How ‘bout inside your dad’s Palace?” Ryuji suggested.  
    “Oh!” Haru exclaimed. “That’s where I know you from! Wow, you figured it out so quickly.”  
    “So, why did you become a phantom thief?” Akira asked.  
    Haru looked down. “My father’s highly regarded as a manager, but I had various… doubts about him. There’s no way for me to change my father’s company, but if I became a phantom thief, I thought I’d at least be able to change him.”  
    “How’d you meet Morgana?” asked Ryuji.  
    “That was pure coincidence. I found a lonely-looking cat in front of our office building. And when I followed him, I ended up in the Metaverse.”  
    Akira considered Haru for a moment. “So what will you do now?”  
    “I’m going to help Mona-chan, who gave me a chance to make my father atone for his crimes. We’re already making a difference in Mementos—oops.” Haru cut herself off. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything about that.”  
    “Don’t you think we could work together?” Akira suggested.  
    “No, thank you. I will work with Mona-chan and him alone.”

* * *

  
>>F: Looks like Mona and Haru are working on Mementos requests.  
>>AT: Yeah, people on the forum are thanking the Phantom Thieves for resolving requests we didn’t complete.  
>>M: So that’s how we find Morgana.  
>>R: How’re we gonna do that?  
>>M: We’ll stake out Mementos.  
>>AK: Good plan.  
  
    After school the next day, the Phantom Thieves headed into Mementos. They waited… and waited… and waited… without any sign of Morgana.  
    “Ain’t he gonna show up _today_?” Ryuji asked, exasperated. “I mean, what time is it now?”  
    “Hold that thought,” Yusuke said.  
    Sure enough, just then Morgana and Haru entered the Metaverse’s version of a subway platform.  
    Morgana got over his initial shock quickly and snapped, “You guys are seriously slacking off way too much!”  
    “Do you have business with us?” Haru asked politely.  
    Makoto address Morgana, who was glaring at the group. “Won’t you please put what happened behind us?”  
    The cat seemed skeptical. “So I’m the one you’re here for?” His expression brightened. “You guys need me after all? Is that it?”  
    “Please come back,” Akira said. As always, Ryuji was amazed at how his friend could say so much in so few words.  
    “We’re sorry, Morgana,” Ann added. “We weren’t taking your feelings into consideration at all.”  
    “Lady Ann…” Morgana said, forgetting about code names.  
    Ann continued, “Ryuji didn’t really mean what he said, you know? He wants to apologize…”  
     _Okay, okay, I get it_ , Ryuji thought. _My turn to apologize_. “Well, like… it was my bad too. I mean, I don’t mind if you’re not human or you’re useless!” He knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as the words left his mouth.  
    “ _Ryuji!_ ” Ann hissed.   
    “What a douche,” Futaba muttered.  
    Morgana was furious. “Oh, is that right!? So I _am_ just some useless cat to you guys!” He looked ready to turn and leave.  
    “Wait,” Akira said, his voice firm. “Let Ryuji apologize.”  
    “Thanks, man,” Ryuji said softly. _C’mon, Ryuji, get this right._ “Listen, Mona, I’m real sorry for the stuff I said. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I—I want you to be a part of the team again. Let’s take down Okumura together!”  
    “Aww,” Haru exclaimed. “Mona-chan, don’t you think your friends really want you to rejoin them?”  
    “I guess so,” replied Morgana. “But you all had better appreciate me this time!”  
    “Of course we appreciate you,” Makoto told him. “You’re an indispensable member of the team.” 

* * *

  
    With the Phantom Thieves finally reunited, they all left Mementos together and headed for the real-life train station—with the exception of Haru, who was going the opposite direction.  
    They hadn’t gone far when they heard what sounded like a cry of distress.  
    “Was that Okumura-san?” Futaba asked.  
    “Hey, that doesn’t seem right to me,” said Ann, pointing down an alley in the direction Haru had gone.  
    Ryuji looked where Ann had pointed, and saw Haru being harassed by some guy in a suit. He was holding her wrist, twisting her arm at an awkward angle. “Please… let go…” she gasped.  
    “Haru!” Morgana shouted, and sprinted down the alley. He latched on to the man’s leg with teeth and claws.  
    “Stupid cat,” the man snarled. With a grunt, he kicked Morgana off his leg and into the wall. The cat crumpled to the ground.  
    “Mona!” Futaba yelled, rushing to where Morgana was lying.  
    Ryuji kept his focus on the man in the suit. Something about him made Ryuji’s stomach turn. _Ignoring the expensive clothes, he’s way too much like my dad_ , Ryuji realized. “The hell are you doing to our friend!?” he snarled.  
    The man released Haru’s wrist and waved his hand dismissively. “Sorry about the disturbance,” he explained, his tone completely calm. “It’s just a lover’s quarrel with my fiancée.”  
    “Fian—what?” Ann said. “But she’s clearly fighting you!”    The man turned back to Haru, his face suddenly twisted in an ugly expression. “How dare you make a fool of me. I’ll be telling your father about this too.” He glanced up at the rest of the group. “I won’t forget your faces,” he promised. Then he turned on his heel and left.  
  
    “Are you okay?” Ann asked Haru when he was gone.  
    “I’m fine, but Mona-chan—”  
    “This is nothing,” the cat groaned, staggering to his feet.  
    “Was that man really your fiancé?” Makoto asked Haru. She nodded in response.  
    “That didn’t seem like an ordinary fight, though…” said Ann. “Shouldn’t you talk to your parents about it?”  
    “I think it’d be useless,” Haru answered. “I’ll just be told to beg for his forgiveness, even if it means groveling on the ground…” On the last words, her voice cracked and tears started to flow down her face.  
    “Please,” said Morgana, “Would you let Haru rest for a while?”  
    “Of course,” Ryuji agreed immediately, past disagreements forgotten. He glanced at Akira. “We’ll take her to your place, yeah?”  
    Akira nodded.

* * *

  
    Back at LeBlanc, Haru went from ‘sitting on the couch’ to ‘sleeping on the couch’ in a matter of minutes. Ryuji didn’t blame her—he was exhausted, and he wasn’t the one with the creepy-ass fiancé.  
    While Haru rested, Morgana addressed the group. “Maybe I am useless,” the cat said, bitterly. “I couldn’t do anything to help Haru. I can’t have you guys risk your lives anymore for me. And there’s no guarantee I’ll turn back into a human, either. This can’t be called a fair deal. That’s why I think we should split up.”  
    Yusuke smiled in his enigmatic way. “Who said we’re acting as Phantom Thieves for your sake? I’m doing it to expand my own horizons.”  
    “I never thought it was an unfair deal,” Akira told the cat.  
    “No need to tiptoe around the situation,” Morgana said. “We’re splitting up for good.”  
    Ryuji felt a flash of irritation. After they worried about Morgana and tracked him down, after Ryuji and everybody apologized, the cat was still determined to leave? But for once, Ryuji thought before he spoke. “Morgana, nobody wants you to leave.”  
    Haru sat up. She must have been listening in on the conversation, because she pulled the cat into her lap and said, “You should stop lying. Do you remember what you said to me when I found you collapsed in the Metaverse? That you’re a Phantom Thief. That you’re going to get stronger and have the others acknowledge you. You love being here, don’t you?”  
    Morgana leapt awkwardly onto the table to get away from Haru. “O-of course not!” he stammered.  
    “I was lying to myself too,” Haru told him. “But when I formed a contract with my Persona… I understood it all.” She glanced around at the others. “Doing this because my father is doing something horrible… was nothing but a superficial reason. The truth is, I—”  
    When Haru hesitated, Ann guessed, “Don’t want to get married, right?”  
    Haru gave a small nod. “I thought that since an adult with responsibilities made the decision, it couldn’t be wrong. I was such a fool, tied down by vague notions of responsibility and obedience. But I won’t tolerate this anymore.” Her voice grew decisive. “I can’t stand that creep!” She declared. “That’s how I truly feel.”  
    Haru looked at Morgana, and the others followed her gaze. “Why’re you looking at me all of a sudden?”  
    “Mona-chan, you should tell the truth.”  
    Morgana looked away. “The truth is… At first, I only thought of this team as a temporary dwelling until I regained my memories. But I wasn’t making any progress on finding out what I am or why I was born… I don’t have anyone I want to save or get revenge on. I have no reason to stay here…”  
    “Morgana…” Ann said sadly.  
    He continued, “That’s why… to me… this team is…   
    “Come on, say it!” Ann encouraged. “You can do it!” The rest of the Thieves nodded in agreement.  
    “It’s the only place I can belong!” Morgana declared. “I wanna stay here forever!”  
    “That was refreshingly honest,” Yusuke observed.  
    Ryuji chuckled. He suddenly felt like he understood Morgana better. The cat just wanted a place to belong, and felt like he didn’t deserve it. _I know how that feels_. “You shoulda just said so from the start,” he told him.  
    “If you stick with me, there’s no telling what kind of trouble will come up!” Morgana warned. “You’d better be sure about this!”  
    Ann grinned. “Of course we want to stay with you too.”  
    Akira nodded in agreement. “We’re sure.”


End file.
